Bangladesh Economic & Infrastructure Development - Updates & Discussions

[Bilal9]

Dhaka Elevated Expressway (Skyway) update​

 

[Bilal9]

Walton has introduced a Multifunction Laser printer to its computer peripherals product lineup. Which is a first for the company - and it is produced in Bangladesh from scratch. Don't know about the Laser printer module though....

 

[Bilal9]

Walton inks deal with Lovello to supply ice-cream freezer​

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By Business Desk
Published : 13 May 2023 07:37 PM



Superbrand Walton has signed an agreement with the renowned brand Lovello to supply its domestically produced international standard ice-cream freezers, said a news release.

As per the deal, Walton is set to supply total of 25,000 units of ice-cream freezers gradually to Lovello.

The deal was signed between Walton and Lovello at a program held at The Westin Dhaka in the capital on Thursday .

Taufika Foods and Lovello Ice-Cream PLC.’s Chairman Datin´ Shamima Nargis Haque and Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC.’s Director Zakia Sultana signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.

Among others, Taufika Foods and Lovello Ice-Cream’s Managing Director Dato´ Engr. Md. Ekramul Haque, Chief Operating Officer Engr. Md. Kamruzzaman, Chief Administrative Officer Engr. Kawsar Ahmed, Walton fridge’s Chief Business Officer (CBO) Tofail Ahmed, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Didarul Alam Khan, Senior Executive Director Md. Shahjada Salim and Engr. Tanvir Anjum, Head of Corporate Sales Ahmed Tanvir and Deputy Executive Director Rabiul Islam Milton also attend the function.

(Datuk (or its variant Dato or Datu) is a Malay honorific title commonly used in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as well as a traditional title by Minangkabau people in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The title of the wife of Datuk is Datin. Some Bangladeshi's living in Malaysia use these titles.)

 

[Bilal9]

 

[Bilal9]

Dhaka Airport road beautification progress...

 

[Bilal9]

Purbachal Expressway update

 

[Bilal9]

Bhaluka, a small town in Mymensingh that has already become a hub of enhanced economic activities, is going to have more feathers in its cap -- an upscale five-star hotel, a high-end private housing project, a globally reputed school and a private economic zone.

These projects, undertaken by Best Holdings Limited (BHL), are designed to equip the sprawling suburb with modern amenities and services for the comfort of people living in or travelling to the area for job or business.

The group will invest a whopping Tk3,500 crore in these projects on around 850 acres of land, which will create thousands of new jobs, its chairman and a pioneer in Bangladesh's construction sector Amin Ahmad has said.

The Marriott Bhaluka, a hotel of Marriott International, USA, will be a 228-room luxurious property by the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway near Mawna to cater to businesses and foreigners visiting the area, which is housing hundreds of factories varying from garments to textiles, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, and float glass.

In fact, the entire area will be ameliorated to a township, where branches of eight banks, 120 showrooms and two cineplexes will be built, Ahmad told The Business Standard in a recent interview at his office in Dhaka's Nikunja.

In addition to the Marriott Bhaluka hotel, the BHL is also building The Muslin, a luxury collection brand resort of Marriott International, USA, at Mamarishpur in Bhaluka.

But what has driven Ahmad to pour so much money into a luxury hotel and school in Bhaluka, an upazila located 50 kilometres away from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport?

According to Ahmad, there are around 5,000 industries in and around the area, where scores of foreigners visit but cannot find any good place to stay and enjoy leisure. The lack of hospitality for international visitors in the area motivated him to invest in a luxury hotel, resort and school in Bhaluka.

He has conducted research to make sure that his upscale hotel and resorts in Bhaluka will pay returns faster than those in Dhaka.

Ahmad's passion for development is not limited to the hospitality industry. He is building a 1,000-student capacity high-end residential school, namely Haileybury Bhaluka, a joint venture with Haileybury UK, one of the world's leading independent schools in the UK.

"Everything is ready and the school will be opened this year and a British principal has been appointed to run the school," said Ahmad, who has invested Tk700 crore in setting up this globally reputed chain school.

Ahmad's Big Dream

Ahmad believes that without a big dream, no one can ascend to the top of a ladder. He said he is surprised to see that no one in the private sector of Bangladesh, home to 170 million people and an emerging economy, dared to take on a billion-dollar project yet. He blamed the lack of foresight and knowledge about sustainable development for this.

But Ahmad likes to dream big. He started his business career as a contractor in the late 1980s. His construction firm has built over 200 bridges across the country, like Teesta, Dharala, Daratana, Bhairab, Brahmaputra, Kanchan, Dholashori, Toilerdeep, 3rd Karnaphuli etc.

He is not in the public construction business now. Since 2009, he has focused on his own infrastructure projects. He began to make his dream a reality with Le Meridien Dhaka, even though that journey was not as smooth as he initially thought.

He started the works of Le Meridien in 2006, but he had to halt all works soon due to political turmoil. Resuming work in 2009, he finally built the hotel in 2015, which went into operation in 2016. But in the meantime, his Tk462 crore bank loan ballooned to Tk1,800 crore including the interest burden.

"I was able to convert part of this loan into equity shares. Besides, this hotel is making profits now," Ahmad said.

The success in building Le Meridien made him more confident in undertaking more expensive hotel projects.

The construction of Marriott Bhaluka, designed for those travelling frequently for business and recreational purposes, is nearing its end and is set to open in December this year. Ahmed has invested Tk1,200 crore in this hotel.

He is building a Tk1,385 crore luxury brand resort of Marriott International, namely The Muslin Luxury Collection, which will be launched in 2024. He is making this luxury project on a sprawling 57 acres of land.

Besides, he is building 100 luxury villas on 30 acres of land for individual uses costing about Tk450 crore. This three-bedroom duplex house will be sold to individuals and maintained by Marriott International.

Why is Ahmad interested in the hospitality sector?

Amin Ahmad, a man who avoids publicity, said he bought 850 acres of land in Bhaluka 16 years ago. Land, which is a very scarce thing and has lots of disputes and enough to drag a project in Bangladesh, gave him the boost to think big.

Now he is developing all his dream projects including infrastructure, education, health, real estate, private economic zone, food and agriculture, and industrial projects, on this land.

He also has a plan to establish a 1,000-bed hospital in Bhaluka, for which he is looking for an international chain partner.

Despite his remarkable achievements, Ahmad lives a simple life and passes this lifestyle on to his children who have preferred to be teachers instead of relishing the empire their father built over the years.

 

[Bilal9]

Dhaka Airport 3rd terminal update

Dhaka Metrorail Motijheel area update

Gulshan Real Estate Projects update

 

[Bilal9]

Dhaka Airport Planespotting || 24th May 2023​

 

[Homo Sapiens]

Chattogram outer link road.

 

[Bilal9]

Chattogram outer link road.

This road goes past the first and 2nd CTG EPZs I believe.

Haven't been there in ages, need to go.

The sea breeze in the late afternoons is just heavenly. And then you can have Jhalmoori with Kasundee at the beach.

 

[Bilal9]

Based on the success of Dhaka's MRT 6 viaduct Metro already implemented, the first underground metro rail in Bangladesh (MRT Line 1 or MRT-1) is going to be built on the airport route with the funding of the Bangladesh government. The project will be completed in December 2026. Passenger capacity will be 8 lakhs (800,000) daily.

The type of infrastructure will be partly subterranean and partly aerial in the Purbachal-bound branch line. The total length is 31.241 km. The number of stations is 21.

MRT-1 Metrorail will run on two routes. Airport route from Airport to Kamalapur (underground) and Notun Bazaar to Pitalganj Depot (overhead viaduct Purbachal route). More detail here,

MRT Line 1 (Dhaka Metro Rail) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Bilal9]

Wind power feeds national grid for first time Friday​

The plant would supply 30MW initially​

Photo: TBS

Photo: TBS

The wind power plant in Khurushkul of Cox's Bazar is all set to add 30 megawatts of electricity to the national grid on a trial basis on Friday, prime minister's Energy Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury confirmed on Wednesday.

The energy adviser visited the privately-owned plant on the day and announced that it would roll into full capacity of 60 megawatts per second towards the end of the year.

The power plant would boost business prospects in the tourist hub while helping realise the government's goal of increasing renewable energy sources.

Photo: TBS

US-DK Green Energy (BD) Ltd is implementing the project with Chinese investment at an estimated cost of $120 million and the state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board would pay $120 for every megawatt generated per hour, according to the company's website. Construction of the project started in March last year.

US-DK Green Energy's Managing Director Zahirul Islam Khan said 10 of the total 22 wind turbines have already been installed, where a single turbine would generate 3 megawatts of electricity. Twenty turbines would help reach full capacity and the two other turbines would provide support in case of emergencies. The turbines have been installed atop 110-metre-high towers.


Cheap offshore wind power may be lighting your home, feasibility study on

Zahirul claims a proposal has already been sent to the power ministry to double the wind power plant's capacity to 120 megawatts per second with 20 new turbines.

Around three metres per second of wind flow is required to generate the minimum electricity for making a wind power plant commercially viable. The location of the Cox's Bazar plant gets around 5.5 metres per second of wind flow, making the project a potential success.

Cox's Bazar Chamber of Commerce and Industries President Abu Morshed Chowdhury said the district is a tourist hub building on its long sea beach. A new power plant in the district is naturally raising hopes among its business entities as well as general people.

A Cox's Bazar citizen activist told TBS that the district is plagued with "various electricity problems" and a wind power plant would certainly help ease the crisis.

 

[Bilal9]

Madaripur - a 3rd tier town in Bangladesh, by the river Arial Khan.

 

[Bilal9]

RO-RO Vehicle transport services are not usually offered for Elisha-Bhola river route from Dhaka - but it is going to start small with this one, MV Carnival. One of the first for this type with long distance riverine service.

Patuakhali - another 3rd Tier town in Bangladesh