China-funded roads get green light

[TopCat]

The cabinet committee on economic affairs yesterday approved the Roads and Highways Department's proposals allowing China Harbour Engineering Company to build two mega-roads for about Tk 38,000 crore.

The projects will be carried out with Chinese soft loans and without any competitive bidding.

One of the projects involves expanding the 226km Dhaka-Sylhet road to a four-lane highway.

Some Tk 12,665 crore has been earmarked for the project, but the proposal says the cost may go up 35 percent in the final estimate.

The Roads and Highways Department last year signed a non-binding preliminary agreement with China Harbour, under which a feasibility study and a detailed design have been prepared.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith himself is interested about the project and has written several times to the Chinese government about it. Yesterday's cabinet committee meeting was chaired by Muhith.

China Harbour has been selected for implementation of another project, which includes construction of a marine drive and a 160km four-lane expressway and land reclamation from Sitakunda to Cox's Bazar.

The preliminary cost of the project has been estimated at Tk 25,573 crore. After detailed appraisal, the cost may shoot up.

A non-binding preliminary agreement was signed last year for this as well.

Kolatoli-Inani-Shilkhali marine drive spanning 48km has already been built with the government's own fund, with another 32km of Shilkhali-Teknaf-Sabrang highway currently under construction.

When the new marine drive is completed, economic activities in the region will increase and the tourism industry will get a boost, said the proposal. Besides, the marine drive will play a big role in connectivity with the Asian Highway and Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar corridor.

When the government gives consent, the state-owned company will ensure financing of the projects by the Chinese government, road ministry officials said.

The two projects were approved under the new policy for implementation of projects with soft loans from China.

Bangladesh will continue to allow China to select contractors only for priority projects financed with low-cost loans from Beijing, as Dhaka's efforts to enforce limited bidding are yet to produce any positive outcome.

The cabinet committee made the decision in August. However, before taking the decision, approval has to be taken from the cabinet committee on economic affairs.

For more than a year, the government has been pushing for putting in place a limited tendering system for all projects funded with concessional loans from China.

But the issue remains pending as China has not given its final decision on the limited tendering despite agreeing on the issue and exchanging several letters and holding talks over a period of more than a year. This prompted the government to take a decision to follow a two-way policy for projects financed with low-cost loans from China.
http://www.thedailystar.net/business/china-funded-roads-get-green-light-1287598

 

[TopCat]

So all the highways is going to be of 4 lane now with this approval.

 

[UKBengali]

So all the highways is going to be of 4 lane now with this approval.

Yes, apart from Dhaka-Chittagong elevated expressway
which should be 6 lane.

 

[Mage]

I wonder how long these projects shall take.

We need to improve our infrastructures and energy problems(Power plants).
This should be the major focus for the next few years.

 

[TopCat]

I wonder how long these projects shall take.

We need to improve our infrastructures and energy problems(Power plants).
This should be the major focus for the next few years.

Did you see the budget of those projects? They won't take that long to complete.
Most of the projects get delayed due to underbidding to start with. At the middle of the work most contractor run out of the budget and start dilly dallying.

 

[~Phoenix~]

 

[UKBengali]

Did you see the budget of those projects? They won't take that long to complete.
Most of the projects get delayed due to underbidding to start with. At the middle of the work most contractor run out of the budget and start dilly dallying.

Should get complete by 2018-2019 in my opinion.

Finance and efficiency has been guaranteed by the Chinese contractor. Only snag could be
land purchase but the budget of the projects means that people will be well-compensated
for loss of land.

View attachment 336806 View attachment 336806 View attachment 336806

Bro, China is now easily the number 1 infrastructure development partner for BD.
They have both the money, expertise and the intent to help BD build up both it's
infrastructure and economy.

 

[Mage]

Did you see the budget of those projects? They won't take that long to complete.
Most of the projects get delayed due to underbidding to start with. At the middle of the work most contractor run out of the budget and start dilly dallying.

Yeah...calculating from the top of my head it seems a bit less than 5B USD. So even if the cost rises by 35% it should be no big deal.

Bro, China is now easily the number 1 infrastructure development partner for BD.
They have both the money, expertise and the intent to help BD build up both it's
infrastructure and economy.

Just thinking, do you guys think in the future China will use Bangladesh to pressurize India in the future? I'm just trying to explore the possible future scenarios. I do think China is a big ally of Bangladesh. And more Chinese investments are definitely welcomed.

 

[UKBengali]

Just thinking, do you guys think in the future China will use Bangladesh to pressurize India in the future? I'm just trying to explore the possible future scenarios. I do think China is a big ally of Bangladesh. And more Chinese investments are definitely welcomed.

No BD government will ever become anti-China. China is just too much of an important ally - actually No 1
ally of BD. India pretends to want BD to develop but is scared of an industrialised and militarised BD that
will have a truly independent foreign policy.

I don't think that BD will want to antoganise India by becoming completely pro-China since it needs Indian
co-operation due to geography, but it will over time take a less pro-India stance that it is currently doing.

 

[Mage]

I think it is great to have good relation with both of them. But a scenario of India and China trying to influence BD against the other scares me.

 

[skyisthelimit]

Congrats.

 

[~Phoenix~]

Bro, China is now easily the number 1 infrastructure development partner for BD.
They have both the money, expertise and the intent to help BD build up both it's
infrastructure and economy

Thats why I'm like "SUY-NA! SUY-NA! SUY-NA!" ( amader accent lol )

I think it is great to have good relation with both of them. But a scenario of India and China trying to influence BD against the other scares me.

Possible 3rd world war over Bangladesh?

 

[Hasan89]

Great news!

Sylhet-Dhaka highway expansion long overdue. I'm thrilled to know this is finally happening. My lands InshAllah along the highway, in my district will rocket up once it's turned into 4 lane.

Should get complete by 2018-2019 in my opinion.

Finance and efficiency has been guaranteed by the Chinese contractor. Only snag could be
land purchase but the budget of the projects means that people will be well-compensated
for loss of land.




Bro, China is now easily the number 1 infrastructure development partner for BD.
They have both the money, expertise and the intent to help BD build up both it's
infrastructure and economy.

China indeed is a better friend. And we must continue building good relationship with China, always.

 

[bluesky]

So all the highways is going to be of 4 lane now with this approval.

Many roads are getting nod for promotion to 4-lane ones except perhaps Dhaka-Aricha road.

 

[TopCat]

Many roads are getting nod for promotion to 4-lane ones except perhaps Dhaka-Aricha road.

You suppose to get a elevated expressway i think. Is it the road going to Bhanga. Aricha is too important to be ignored in the first place. May be due to no bridge over the padma there.