Bangladesh Economic & Infrastructure Development - Updates & Discussions

[Bilal9]

Dhaka to Mawa Elevated Ballastless Rail line being installed (trackage).

Dhaka Mega Projects roundup (which will go live in 2022).

Purbachal 300 feet wide expressway update

 

[Bilal9]

Dhaka Airport 3rd terminal project update

 

[Bilal9]

Although Bangladesh trails the developed world in many areas, constructing LEED certified eco-conscious production facilities is not one of them. In this sector Bangladesh is a world leader. Here is a LEED certified green factory campus where garments will be produced for a leading international fashion brand.

 

[Bilal9]

Progress images from the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project:

 

[Bilal9]

Aga Khan Academy,​

Dhaka,Bangladesh​

Overview


This 1200-student residential school under construction is located on a 20-acre site near the centre of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The school is part of a network of state of the art K12 schools, being established by His Highness the Aga Khan.

Through the Aga Khan Academies there are currently18 Academies planned in locations across Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia and Europe.

The Aga Khan Academies aim to support long-term national and regional development by providing an international standard of education and strong leadership experience to talented students. The students are selected based on merit, regardless of socioeconomic background, and will become future home-grown leaders. The Academies also strengthen national education systems by providing professional development and modelling best practices as centres of excellence.

The Academy is arranged around a central ‘Maidan’ community gathering space and sports field, linked by a continuous colonnade, and interspersed by landscape courtyards of varying character. The classical Masterplan layout is derived from our studies of the original Buddhist universities of the region.

The result is an architectural language which showcases intricate brickwork techniques set against ‘jali’ screen detailing as a contemporary interpretation of an important local tradition. The project incorporates the overarching Aga Khan Academies brief whilst integrating historic Bangladeshi customs in spatial arrangements.

This project is a collaboration between FCBStudios UK and Rafiq Azam and his atelier, "Shatotto" in Dhaka.

Current construction stage:

 

[Bilal9]

The tale of metro rail: A challenging project to transform Dhaka into a modern city​

Picture: TBS/SAP

Picture: TBS/SAP

Dhaka is an old city that has been built without any plan. No one had the opportunity to develop the city in a planned manner. That is why construction of metro rail lines in Dhaka is very challenging. Many people have expressed their doubt about the success of metro rail in the city because of this challenge.

We took the courageous decision to implement the metro rail project as per the directive from the prime minister.

As soon as we started working, we faced many new challenges along with the old ones. We did not have the capacity to overcome all the challenges at once. We, therefore, decided to take these challenges as per their importance and address them in phases.

For example, if you look at the current alignment of the metro rail line, you would find that it has been built in the same way as a snake moves. In the beginning, the alignment of this metro rail was not like that. The biggest challenge at first was to finalise it.

While constructing the metro rail line next to the parliament building, we first came across the question as to whether the area is included in the parliament complex or not. After discussions with various government departments, we learned that the area is outside the parliament complex.

The metro rail was initially supposed to go to Farmgate through Bijoy Smaroni, but we had to change it in the face of objections from the Army Aviation and the Air Force.

The initial decision was to execute the metro rail project in two phases so as not to aggravate the suffering of the city dwellers. The first phase of the work was supposed to be up to Farmgate. But later we found that there was no place to build four lines for a train turnback there. As a result, we decided to complete the Uttara-Agargaon portion of the line in the first phase.

Photo: Mumit M/TBS

Photo: Mumit M/TBS

Apart from Bijoy Sarani, Sangsad Bhaban and Farmgate areas, there were problems with alignment in Dhaka University, Curzon Hall, Secretariat, Baitul Mukarram areas too. We made sound barriers during the construction works due to the objections from the authorities from these areas to reduce noise.

The biggest challenge was finalising the route alignment. After overcoming this challenge, we found that the width of the roads varies in different parts of the city. Somewhere the roads are narrow, somewhere it is very wide. It became difficult to manage the construction work by keeping the vehicles moving.

A separate traffic management plan has to be made to reduce the suffering of the people. We worked on the construction of metro rail stations at night as it is more difficult during the daytime.

There have been no accidents during the construction work on the metro rail project as we have taken safety first policy. It was a big and difficult challenge in a crowded place like Dhaka.

We have had to face a lot of criticism for removing a lot of beautifying plants while constructing metro rail in the middle of the road.

However, we have rebuilt the road medians after completion of construction work in certain areas and planted several times more trees than before. If you go to Pallabi and northern areas from there, you will see it.

The construction of the metro rail faced a major challenge when foreign consultants and skilled workers returned to their home countries due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During that period, we prioritized the tasks that can be carried forward from home or in the factory.

The construction work did not stop during the two years Covid-induced lockdowns and other restrictions. We generated various innovative ideas to keep the construction works going.

We have set up isolation centers and quarantine centers at the field level to keep the work running in full swing. We have also set up two field hospitals and signed Covid-19 treatment-related agreements with government hospitals and private hospitals. All these measures have been taken to restore the confidence of the foreigners who were brought back to Dhaka on special flights.

It is very difficult to find land for the implementation of any project in Dhaka metropolis. Even when the land was found, we had to face many challenges to acquire it. We had to acquire a lot of land in Uttara for construction of a metro rail depot. The area was once known as a low-lying, dumping area. It will be an example of how we can improve our lands using advanced technology.

We had to build several construction yards in Farmgate, Uttara, and Gabtoli to build so many viaducts. The eviction of illegal occupants from these yards also was a major challenge.

Photo: Mumit M/TBS

Photo: Mumit M/TBS

There were other challenges too. Several Japanese consultants were killed in a terrorist attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery during the design stage of the construction work. Bringing in new consultants was a big challenge.

While building the rolling stock of the metro rail, we saw that very high-quality plastics are used in the construction of world-class metro rail. But, we decided that plastic-made metro rails would not be sustainable for us here. That is why we used stainless steel to meet the challenges of the future. We have used strong window glasses so that it is not damaged easily.

We had no previous experience in metro rails. Therefore, we had to face different difficulties at different stages. The construction of the first MRT line (MRT Line-6) was completed on a trial and error basis. Nevertheless, we have gathered a lot of experience in the first project.

Some of our people went abroad for training to increase their skills. The number of our people with practical experience has also increased. I believe our experienced and skilled manpower will help us move forward with the next projects.

As the first project (line-6) has reached the final stage, some of the people involved here will be able to take charge of the next projects.

It was said at the beginning that we did not have the financial and technical capacity to implement a metro rail project in Bangladesh. But, we are working to overcome our limitations.

In the beginning, 75% of the project's manpower was foreigners. But, now 80% of the manpower is from Bangladesh.

The big challenge in the future of metro rail will be the maintenance, and operational costs. No country in the world can bear the cost of a metro rail with fares alone. For this, some non-fare revenue has to be collected.

As part of this, we have decided to build several station plazas and several Transit Oriented Development (TOD) hubs. Some commercial spaces are also being created in the stations and some LED screens are being installed.

We are trying to ensure some revenue besides the fares from the first day of the operation of metro rail.

We have taken all these decisions in the light of our experience during the implementation of the MRT Line-6 project. All these ideas can be easily applied in later projects.

Our idea is that once the MRT line is completed, the GDP of the country will increase by about one percent. At the same time, a huge amount of people will be employed. The metro rail will reduce traffic congestion as well as environmental damage in Dhaka.

The line-6 alone will be able to carry 60,000 passengers per hour and about five lakh people will use this line daily. If the 2030 plan is implemented, around 50 lakh people will use it every day.

Now there is no certainty as to when one will reach Motijheel from Uttara. It can take up to three hours. But once the metro rail is completed, the journey will be possible in just 38 minutes. Metro trains will run every three and a half minutes during peak hours.

Photo: Mumit M/TBS

Photo: Mumit M/TBS

Metro rails will save a huge amount of time for people and they will be able to give more time to their family members, or do other work.

There are both financial and economic values of time. A large portion of GDP is lost due to traffic congestion. Metro rail will reduce this loss.

When the metro rail is fully operational, small vehicles will be stopped. This will reduce traffic congestion as well as save fuel.

The main goal of the plan under which the DMTCL is working is to reduce the traffic congestion in Dhaka metropolis by 2030.

Later, in the second and third phase, different areas of Gazipur, Narayanganj, Manikganj, Munshiganj and Narsingdi among the districts around Dhaka will be brought under the metro rail network. This will reduce the pressure of the people on Dhaka city.

Different facilities are now attracting people from different areas towards Dhaka city. Metro rails in all these areas will act as a push factor. Then people will be able to set up offices in Dhaka from their homes in the surrounding districts.

Finally, I would say that the key to building MRT in Bangladesh is a political commitment. In other words, we had a political vision, where the Prime Minister was the main driving force.

Whenever we stumble, whenever we see that there is a challenge we cannot face, we go to the prime minister. She listens to all our problems. She is giving us all kinds of help to reduce traffic congestion or improve the environment. Her assistance has increased the pace of our work.

---

M.A.N. Siddique. Sketch: TBS

M.A.N. Siddique. Sketch: TBS

The author is Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL)

 

[Bilal9]

------------------------------------------------------

Central Bank Reserves in Bangladesh growing on the backs of remittances and exports.

 

[Bilal9]

Golam Murshed: The architect of a billion-dollar company​

Photo: Golam Murshed

Photo: Golam Murshed

Golam Murshed, an entrepreneurial and visionary young business leader, is the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Walton Hi-Tech Industries Limited.

He has been serving Walton in various important positions for over a decade.

Murshed is most admired for the modernization of production and aggressive marketing strategy.

He is the president of Bangladesh Electrical, Electronics, and Home Appliances Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BEEMEA).

Ascending to the top position of an electronic giant within 10 years and leading it from the forefront is not an easy task.

It seems that Golam Murshed was born to be a star in the fields of corporate and business. Let us see how the youngest corporate personalities of a billion-dollar company achieved the feat and his visions for the county and the people.

Career

Golam Murshed, joined Walton Hi-Tech Industries Limited on 20 December, 2010 as an assistant engineer in the Research and Development (R&D) of the air conditioner (AC).

Soon after he started screening his charismatic leadership with the production unit as its in-charge. That was the foundation for Murshed to be the leader of the electronic giant of Bangladesh. The Walton authorities found the quality of leading the production team in Murshed. The very first piece of product of Walton AC came through his hand.

After working in AC production for over two years, he went into refrigerator production with the approval of the authorities, because the fridge production procedures seemed dynamic to him then.

He was not shillyshally to take the charge of the most important and complex line of fridge production, because it seemed to him that there were more challenges.
The challenges, however, were immense but Murshed, with his charismatic leadership, overcame and the production was almost doubled in a year after he took charge of that production line in the refrigerator manufacturing plant.

While working with the fridge production line, the then managing director of Walton Hi-Tech Industries Limited gave Murshed the responsibility of business operations.
Another revolutionary decision was made three years later; when he was appointed as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the refrigerator department of Walton.

Golam Murshed, who always dreams to transform Bangladesh technologically and empower the people with cutting-edge technology, was appointed as the MD and CEO of the leading electronics products manufacturer on 8 October, 2020.

Before this appointment, he had also been promoted as the company's additional managing director (AMD).

Notable Achievements

Achievements of Walton and that of Golam Murshed are inextricably linked to one another, as he has been contributing to this company nearly from the very beginning of the operations.

In the early days of his career, under his leadership, the refrigerator production volume doubled without investing in any new types of machinery, just through process improvement.

He led the acquisition of several refrigerators and AC manufacturing plants from Vietnam, Taiwan, and China.

The company attained the highest refrigerator sales during his tenure as CEO of Walton refrigerator.

He initiated Walton ventilator, PPE, disinfectant chamber, medi-cart robot project in quick response to the Covid-19 crisis.

Murshed led the whole initial public offering (IPO) process of Walton Hi-Tech Industries Limited and took the company for a public listing to the stock exchange.
Within a few months it became second-largest market capitalised company in Bangladesh.

He introduced "Go Global" project to become one of the top global brands within 2030 and Walton attained the highest export volume and value in FY2020-21 as well as the highest ever sales and net earnings in 2020-21.

Vision and Mission

As the MD and CEO of Walton Hi-Tech, the vision and mission of Golam Murshed centres around the company and brand.

He has taken the mission of "Vision Go Global-2030."

This means now his main concern is to make Walton one of the top global brands within 2030.

The contentious growth and success of the company, amid the coronavirus pandemic, indicate that fulfillment of the mission is certain and under his leadership, the dreams will come true.

Along with that, Murshed has taken various steps to make Bangladesh the hub of the electronics and technology industry emphasising research and innovation.

Golam Murshed always tries to do something for the country. For which he preferred to join Walton and not to go abroad for a better living after completing his graduation. Now his sole concern is for Walton and Bangladesh as well.

He has already taken many steps to develop the country's electronics, technology, research, and innovation sectors and create opportunities for young generations.
He always thinks out of the box.

According to him fascination with work than an academic degree, perseverance in decision making, and the determination of must do it – these three have brought him to the position which millions dream of Initiative for Green Bangladesh.

To ensure a greener and cleaner Bangladesh for future generations, Golam Murshed has taken an initiative called "Better Bangladesh Tomorrow'."

Aiming to decrease the overall carbon footprint, Walton has already started incorporating 51.16 tonnes of waste produced each day in Bangladesh in its products and manufacturing process using the 3R system (reuse, reduce and recycle).

Sustainability awareness and training programs under the initiative will help inspire youth to take active participation in building a sustainable future for themselves and the generations to follow.

Starting from sourcing to designing products, to the post-purchase services, the objective of such initiative is to create harmony between the human race and mother nature by balancing the natural and industrial ecology.

 

[Bilal9]

SMCC completed some of the foundation work at the 3rd terminal which is a huge project with almost two dozen contractors participating.

Airport 3rd Terminal (HSIA Expansion Project HSIA-T3) - Pile Cap Work

Airport 3rd Terminal (Project HSIA-T3)- Airside Washing Bay Work

This is as of March 2021 showing progress on the sheer scale of the Airport 3rd Terminal (Project HSIA-T3) undertaking which is one of the five/six megaprojects just in Dhaka itself, I've posted about two dozen videos in this thread since then about this. Take a look please.

The plan for Project HSIA-T3 calls for building many extra taxiways, huge apron and an extra high speed exit taxiway to the right of the existing one in the middle. The existing fuel depots and the hangars on the bottom right will all be demolished and re-located.

The huge apron for Project HSIA-T3 is going to stretch from where the 787's are parked below to all the way past the last exit taxiway on the left. It will triple the number of bridges, the passengers the current airport handles.

 

[Bilal9]

@bluesky bhai you'll be happy to know that civil works for the new terminal was completed mostly by local companies, in this case below Associated Builders did some of the building construction work for part of the huge terminal.

Concrete pump and boom crane for concrete pours at quite large scale...

 

[Bilal9]

Construction of super flat Factory floors for precision machinery installs and for pallet-stacker operation in warehouses is critical. That is why advanced super flat screed leveling of floors is essential. @bluesky bhai you must be familiar with this equipment. Recently Laser Screed Concrete Leveling equipment imported by SINAMM was used at their CKL SPINNING MILL project for floor construction work. SINAMM specializes in factory floor and power station civil works, however they also participated in a portion of the HSIA-terminal 3 expansion project (see pictures above).

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=428406614715346

 

[bluesky]

@bluesky bhai you'll be happy to know that civil works for the new terminal was completed mostly by local companies, in this case below Associated Builders did some of the building construction work for part of the huge terminal.

The construction by local companies itself is important. But how about the works related to surveying, conducting Standard Penetration Tests (SPTs) for the soil, preparing the layout plan of different facilities and structures, and design analysis for the foundations (footing, raft/ spread, and the piled ones), above-ground tall structures, etc.

- If the design-related works have been done by the local companies, I would say personally, I am fully satisfied.

- If a foreign design consultant office did these design works, but a local design consultant company was authorized to receive these documents/ drawings instead of our layman govt engg. department, I would say, personally, I am still half satisfied.

- However, I will be completely dissatisfied if all the design-related works were conducted by the foreign companies without participation by the local ones.

It is because such a local private company will learn from the design analysis/ documents and drawings that it can use in any next design works.

The design works are essentially more important than the construction work itself. A design engineer may be able to do the construction management, but a construction engineer will not be able to do the design works.

A design engineer does many mathematical calculations (structural analysis) by following the related codes and standards, based on which drawings are prepared. A construction company follows the writing and instructions given in those drawings.

 

[Bilal9]

The construction by local companies itself is important. But how about the works related to surveying, conducting Standard Penetration Tests (SPTs) for the soil, preparing the layout plan of different facilities and structures, and design analysis for the foundations (footing, raft/ spread, and the piled ones), above-ground tall structures, etc.

- If the design-related works have been done by the local companies, I would say personally, I am fully satisfied.

- If a foreign design consultant office did these design works, but a local design consultant company was authorized to receive these documents/ drawings instead of our layman govt engg. department, I would say, personally, I am still half satisfied.

- However, I will be completely dissatisfied if all the design-related works were conducted by the foreign companies without participation by the local ones.

It is because such a local private company will learn from the design analysis/ documents and drawings that it can use in any next design works.

The design works are essentially more important than the construction work itself. A design engineer may be able to do the construction management, but a construction engineer will not be able to do the design works.

A design engineer does many mathematical calculations (structural analysis) by following the related codes and standards, based on which drawings are prepared. A construction company follows the writing and instructions given in those drawings.

@bluesky bhai - আপনি বোধহয় দেশে অনেকদিন যাবৎ আসেন না। কনস্ট্রাকশন সিচুয়েশন এর দেশে আমূল পরিবর্তন ঘটে গেছে।

In most cases for local large power stations, bridges up to a certain size (unless foreign loans involved), hospitals, universities, factories, warehouses, multistory urban commercial towers and housing (condos), civil engg. and architectural design is done 99% locally.

In rare cases (where we are venturing into hitherto unexplored large scale complicated project territory like) river tunnels, 7 KM long bridges over very deep rivers, metro projects or large airport terminals where logistics and design need to be optimally configured using current industry best practices - are foreign design expertise sought and used.

Even in countries wealthier than ours (say, Malaysia) foreign consultants work with local contractors to complete projects.

I don't believe this is a question of pride, patriotism or emotional expression.

It is where the project will benefit qualitatively from improved practices and/or savings in construction costs using more advanced technology.

Take for example HSIA Air Terminal 3, which was designed by a Singapore Civil consulting firm headed in part by Rouhani Baharin. She also designed Islamabad new Airport, New Terminal at Ahmedabad Int'l and of course the latest addition at Changi Terminal in Singapore, We could not do a better job at this because we have no experience so far at it.

Civil Aeronautics boards and holding companies wanting a successful project always opt for the best designs (whether architectural or civil)- and sometimes those advanced designs may not be available from local consultants because of lack of experience and project exposure.

 

[Chakar The Great]

Aga Khan Academy,​

Dhaka,Bangladesh​

Overview


This 1200-student residential school under construction is located on a 20-acre site near the centre of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The school is part of a network of state of the art K12 schools, being established by His Highness the Aga Khan.

Through the Aga Khan Academies there are currently18 Academies planned in locations across Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia and Europe.

The Aga Khan Academies aim to support long-term national and regional development by providing an international standard of education and strong leadership experience to talented students. The students are selected based on merit, regardless of socioeconomic background, and will become future home-grown leaders. The Academies also strengthen national education systems by providing professional development and modelling best practices as centres of excellence.

The Academy is arranged around a central ‘Maidan’ community gathering space and sports field, linked by a continuous colonnade, and interspersed by landscape courtyards of varying character. The classical Masterplan layout is derived from our studies of the original Buddhist universities of the region.

The result is an architectural language which showcases intricate brickwork techniques set against ‘jali’ screen detailing as a contemporary interpretation of an important local tradition. The project incorporates the overarching Aga Khan Academies brief whilst integrating historic Bangladeshi customs in spatial arrangements.

This project is a collaboration between FCBStudios UK and Rafiq Azam and his atelier, "Shatotto" in Dhaka.

Current construction stage:

Structure very similar to Agha Khan university Karachi Pakistan.

 

[Bilal9]

Local company has come out with time attendance solution for companies - "Tipsoi" is the name which means "fingerprint-signature".

As imagined - the device uses a fingerprint reader to record clock-in's and clock-out's for employees. It is fully compatible and enabled with latest WiFi and Bluetooth protocols to enable connection with an app in the cloud for accounting purposes and boasts various types of configurable filtered reports to record and report efficiency and productivity data,

Tipsoi TF-80 Fingerprint Time Attendance Solution​

Price	0 ৳
Product Code	PR01017
Brand	Tipsoi
Model	TF-80

Features​ Fingerprint capacity: 3000 RFID capacity: 20,000 Log capacity: 500,000 4 hours battery backup Wireless GPRS connectivity

টিপসই TF-80 Datasheet

টিপসই TF-80​

• ফিঙ্গার প্রিন্ট ক্যাপাসিটি : ৩০০০
• RFID ক্যাপাসিটি : ২০,০০০
• লগ ক্যাপাসিটি : ৫০০,০০০
• FAR: ০.০০১%, FRR: ০.০১%
• কর্মক্ষম তাপমাত্রা : -20C to 55C
• ৪ ঘন্টা ব্যাটারী ব্যাকআপ
• ওয়ারলেস GPRS কানেক্টিভিটি
• সহজ API/SDK ইন্ট্রিগেশন
• সাপোর্ট ম্যাগনেটিক ডোর লক
• এন্ড to এন্ড ডাটা এনক্রিপশন

There is also a face-recognition device (instead of fingerprint recognition). This is more secure in terms of non-repudiation.

টিপসই ফেইস-D920 Datasheet

টিপসই ফেইস-D920​

• ফেইস স্টোরেজ ক্যাপাসিটিঃ ৫০,০০০
• লগ ক্যাপাসিটিঃ ১০,০০,০০০
• রেজোলিউশনঃ ১৯২০ x ১০৮০
• ৮” LED ডিসপ্লে
• কমিউনিকেশনঃ LAN
• WiFi কানেক্টিভিটি
• ভয়েস ব্রডকাস্ট
• নো-মাস্ক ডিটেকশন
• সহজ এনরোলমেন্টে
• ওয়েব এবং মোবাইল অ্যাপ

Structure very similar to Agha Khan university Karachi Pakistan.

The campus seems larger than the one in Dhaka (but Dhaka land prices are probably a bit higher than in Karachi in any case). The one in Dhaka is an academy however, not a Hospital/Medical College/University. I think mainly K-12 grade students.

Thanks for the video.