Modern roadside restrooms are being built for cargo drivers in Bangladesh
Read in 3 minutes. Updated: 14 Jan 2023, 04:55 PM IST
HT Bangla Correspondent
Modern restrooms are being built in Bangladesh. Photo by Channel I
Modern restrooms are being built in Bangladesh. Photo by Channel I
According to the sources of the Roads and Highways Department, drivers of long-distance cargo vehicles moving from one district to another have to drive continuously for more than 5 hours on the road, causing the drivers to feel drowsy and drowsy.
For the first time in the country, two state-of-the-art restrooms have been constructed at Nimsar in Comilla on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway and at Panchlia in Sirajganj on the highway west of Bangabandhu Bridge with the aim of building sustainable and safe highways to prevent road accidents.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the project after its completion. Restrooms with modern facilities are in final stage. Now the work of beautification of these two restrooms is going on. Roads and Highways Department sources say that if the restrooms are opened, the number of accidents on the country's highways will decrease and the highways will be safer.
It is known that these modern restrooms are built thinking about long-distance cargo drivers to keep the country's highways safe. Drivers will have a variety of amenities in two two-storied restrooms with modern amenities. With the opening of two attractive restrooms, the long haul truck drivers will be able to enjoy various amenities in the restrooms. After the inauguration, the institution will be run on the basis of public lease, Sauz said.
According to the sources of the Roads and Highways Department, drivers of long-distance cargo vehicles moving from one district to another have to drive continuously for more than 5 hours on the road, causing the drivers to feel drowsy and drowsy. This increases the safety risk on the highway. Therefore, the government took the initiative to build restrooms with modern facilities under government management.
These restrooms have double-decker sleepers for long-haul truck drivers to rest, overnight accommodation for goods vehicles, recreation points, canteens, washrooms, prayer areas, first aid rooms, vehicle repair workshops, wash zones, uninterrupted power supply, modern sanitation facilities, two lakes. , Greenery and safety wall are also provided with limited play facilities. So that the drivers can easily reach distant destinations by resting at these restrooms.
To mitigate the risk, long-distance truck drivers will have the facility to rest if a sufficient number of rest rooms with modern facilities are opened under the government management. As a result, it will be possible to relieve their sleep problems and fatigue due to travel. Also, if the project is implemented, road accidents will be reduced. Highways will be safe. By setting up these restrooms, drivers can get rid of their mental and physical anxiety and once again they can fully concentrate on driving.
Buses said that under this project, four restrooms are being set up in Comilla, Sirajganj, Habiganj and Magura districts. To build these four modern restrooms, the government is spending 226 million 21 lakh rupees. Site engineer of Alauddin Trading Co. Ltd. Aman Biswas said that the construction of the modern bus terminal has been done by maintaining all the standards. Now last minute work is going on in these restrooms.
On the other hand, the long-distance cargo drivers are happy with the construction of such government facilities on the side of the highway. They say - as a result of this initiative of the government, accidents will be reduced on the highways of the country. Drivers will be able to travel smoothly. Alamgir Swapan, a truck driver who travels regularly on the long-distance road, said, "We don't have any designated parking space on the main road. So we were forced to leave the car on the side of the highway and rest. Now that the restroom is open we can rest. As a result of rest, our body will be good and our car will be safe. Another driver, Mumtaz Uddin, said that since the government has built the building for us, we can rest now and accidents on the road will also reduce.
Akul Chandra Biswas, officer-in-charge of Comilla Mainamati Highway Police Station, said that if this restroom is opened on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, road accidents will be reduced to a large extent and traffic will return to ease. In this regard, Sumit Chakma, Executive Engineer of the Roads and Public Roads Department, said that the building construction work is at the final stage. Apart from car parking and restrooms, there will also be facilities for car repairs. Arrangements for eating, bathing and praying are also kept here. Parking is secured.
According to the sources related to the road department, the project of construction of restrooms with modern facilities at four places on the four national highways of the country was approved on August 27, 2019 in the ECNEC meeting. Under the said project, two of the four restrooms on the Roads and Public Roads Department's own land at Nimsar in Comilla at the 78th kilometer of the Dhaka-Chittagong highway and at Panchlia in Sirajganj at the 109th kilometer of the Dhaka-Rangpur highway are in the final stages of construction.
Two more restrooms will be constructed under this project through land acquisition, one at Laxmikander in Magura on Dhaka-Khulna highway and the other at Habiganj Jagadishpur at 128th km of Dhaka-Sylhet highway.
Matarbari will become regional hub in South-Asian economy: Experts
Published: January 08, 2023 16:42:15
File photo (Collected)
The government is constructing a deep seaport at Matarbari of Cox's Bazar to help the country handle growing volumes of exports and imports and ease the pressure on the country’s principal seaport Chattogram.
The government is also constructing a Coal-based Power Plant, an LNG Terminal, and the development of highways.
Experts concerned expect that Matarbari will become the most important export-import hub in the South-Asian region in future as the region is bustling with a number of mega projects, including Deep-Sea Port, reports BSS.
Construction works for the dream deep-sea port project is going on in full swing. With the pandemic is almost retreating, the work is on without any break. The project is likely to be completed by 2026 next.
Talking to the news agency, Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Chairman Rear Admiral M Shahajahan said the deep-sea port being built by the CPA, will become the region's most important export-import hub in future.
“It will play a catalyst role and gain the reputation of the region's most important feeder port for mother vessels from the ports of neighboring countries,” he added.
The CPA chairman informed that once the ‘Matarbari Port’ comes into operation, it is expected that the country’s first deep sea port would contribute 2.0 to 3.0 per cent to the growth of the national economy.
He said the main objective of the project is to enhance the cargo handling capacity of Bangladesh by constructing the Matarbari Port and thus fulfill the demand of international trade as well as facilitating speedy port services with the neighboring countries.
“The existing yearly container handling capacity of the Chittagong Port is 3.2 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) of the container. The growing demand will exceed the existing handling capacity within the next few years. We have to increase the handling capacity by more than 4 million TEUs by 2033. Mongla and Payra ports will not be able to meet the growing demand. So, Matarbari and Bay Terminal are likely to be the best befitting in this regard. The Matarbari Port is likely to add 2.0 to 3.0 per cent in GDP in the country’s economy,” he added.
He said the maritime connectivity of Bangladesh would increase remarkably, as the deep-sea port will enhance the total capacity of the Chittagong Port in handling cargoes and containers several times.
The Matarbari Deep-sea Port Development Project is being implemented with the financing of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The CPA completed the process of acquiring 1,225 acres of land for the construction of the port at Moheshkhali. In the first phase, a total of 283 acres of land were acquired. A coal jetty, a storage yard and an ash pond will be built.
The JICA agreed to finance the project with an investment of more than 500 million US dollars.
At the port, mother vessels with more than 16-metre draft will be able to berth. Currently, at the Chittagong Port jetties, vessels with only 9.5 metre draft can berth. The container vessel with only 2400 TEUs of container can berth at the CPA jetties. At the deep-sea port, the vessels carrying more than 8000 TEUs of container will be able to berth. Already the construction of a 14.3km long, 250m wide and 18.5m deep channel for the port is completed. The work to widen the channel by another 100 metres is underway.
The channel will enable ships with a capacity of 80,000 tonnes to sail in. It will look like the Kashima Port in Japan.
The deep-sea port was originally targeted for the Matarbari coal-fired power plant. Then the government decided to turn it into a deep-sea port.
President of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) Mahbubul Alam said the seaport will come up as one of the key hubs of trade and business in South Asia in view of its geographic locations, advantages and deep-sea port capabilities.
“So, this port might be used by our neighbours’ nations. Along with Matarbari Deep Seaport, 36 development projects, like power plants and special economic zones, are being carried out there by various government agencies. In the days to come, there will be a significant amount of foreign investment at Matarbari, and a new era of the nation’s the trade and business will be ushered.
The extensive construction projects at Matarbari will bring about a significant change in the nation’s economic landscape,” he added.
