Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar railway project needs more time

A 128-kilometer railway project linking Chattogram’s Dohazari and beach city Cox’s Bazar cannot be completed by next year due to land acquisition complications and unpaid compensation over the acquired land.

The Dohazari-Ramu-Gundum railway project works need more time and that deadline of the project requires an extension, project officials said.

“Some 61 percent of the work has been done in the last 11 years,” said a top project official, adding only a year is left for the completion of the project.

He said the project period will expire after 10 months and that it is not possible to complete the remaining 39 percent of the works within this time.

Md. Mofizur Rahman, director of the project---Construction of Single Line Dual Gauge Track from Dohazari to Cox’s Bazar via Ramu to Cox’s Bazar and from Ramu to Gundum near Myanmar--- said the work of the project is now in full swing. “So far, the project work has progressed 61 percent.”

Rahman said some land acquisitions could not be completed yet. “Acquisition of this land is being delayed due to lawsuits. Besides, it has not been possible to pay full land compensation yet.”

Asked how many cases are pending or how much compensation has been paid, the project director said, he does not have that data and that the district administration can respond to this question.

He said there are some issues ‘that are not in our hands. The district administration looks after the issues of land acquisition, compensation and lawsuits.’

Project officials said paperwork for the project began in 2010. But due to various complications, it was possible to start physical work in July 2018. The last date for implementation of the project is June 30, 2022. There is only 10 months in hand.

The project stakeholders said the progress of the works had been good until September last year. Then, like many other projects, work on this project came to a halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

As the project concludes, a direct rail link will be established between the capital Dhaka and the beach city of Cox's Bazar. Also, Bangladesh is expected to be part of the Trans-Asian Railway Corridor. The initiative is expected to boost tourism.

China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC), China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), Tama Construction and Max Infrastructure Limited of Bangladesh are working on the project.

The project is being jointly funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Bangladesh. The project cost has been estimated at Tk 18,054.48 crore. Of this, the funding of the government of Bangladesh is Tk 4,919 crore and the remaining Tk 13,115.41 crore is coming from ADB loan.

The project will have a total of nine railway stations. Of the 128 km railroad, 6 km will stretch from Dohazari to Ramu in Chittagong, 12 km from Ramu to Cox's Bazar and 26 km from Ramu to Gundum, respectively. There are 25 bridges and culverts along the entire railroad.