7 projects to change the face of Bangladesh in 5 years

Some projects that are in progress could change the face of the infrastructure and economy in Bangladesh within the next five years.

Once completed, these projects may take the country’s economic growth to the magical double-digit rate — the Padma Multi-purpose Bridge alone could add 1 percentage point to the GDP.

It is expected that these large infrastructural projects will renovate the country’s communications, transportation, ports, and energy scenario, and help the country transform into a developed nation by 2041.

Dhaka Metro Rail

The project is expected to open on December 16, Victory Day, and the remaining parts of the project are likely to be completed by 2024. The government is spending nearly Tk25,000 crore to implement the project.

Once the metro rail from Uttara to Motijheel is launched, commuters do not need to waste around two hours in heavy traffic jam. It will just take just 36 minutes to reach Motijheel from Uttara.

It will be possible to transport around 60,000 passengers per hour from both directions, thus significantly reducing congestion on the roads.

Padma Multi-Purpose Bridge

Construction work of the road-rail bridge across the Padma River is scheduled to be completed by June 2022. It will connect Louhajong, Munshiganj to Shariatpur and Madaripur, linking the southwest part of the country to the northern and eastern regions.

The bridge that costs over Tk30,000 crore will connect 21 districts, the Mongla sea port, and the Benapole land port with the capital city Dhaka and northern parts of the country.

The two-level steel truss bridge will carry a four-lane highway on the upper level and a single-track railway on the lower level.

The bridge, when commissioned, is expected to boost the GDP of Bangladesh by as much as 1.2 percentage points.

Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant

The nuclear power plant is being constructed at Rooppur and the adjoining area of Paksey under Ishwardi upazila of Pabna, on the bank of the Padma River. It is expected that the first and second units of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP), with capacities of 1200MW each, will be in commercial operation in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Though very expensive – over $13 billion (over Tk 1 lakh crore), it will make Bangladesh a nuclear energy generating country. There are around 50 countries that have the capacity to produce nuclear power, low-carbon electricity.

Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar Railway

The first phase of the railway project, scheduled to be completed by 2022, will include a single-track rail line approximately 102km in length. After it is built, tourists can go to Cox’s Bazar — the world’s longest sea beach — by train.

During the project’s second phase, the rail line will be extended to the Myanmar border, as well as to a planned deep-sea port on Matarbari Island.

It is a part of the Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) network and will improve access to Myanmar and other countries.

Overall cost of the project is estimated to be over Tk18,000 crore.

Dhaka BRT Line 3 Gazipur to Airport

The construction work of 22km Bus Rapid Transit (BRT Line-3) project from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Gazipur is likely to be completed in 2022. It is expected that it will resolve traffic congestion in the capital city. The project is being implemented at a cost of over Tk4,200 crore.

Once the project is completed, it will transport around 30,000 passengers from both sides of the route within an hour.

It will take much less time to travel from Gazipur to the airport, with the frequency of buses between two and five minutes.

Karnaphuli Tunnel

The Multi-Lane Road Tunnel Project under the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram is being implemented at a cost of around Tk10,000 crore. It is the first underwater tunnel in South Asia.

The Karnaphuli Tunnel connects Chattogram city to the other side of the Karnaphuli River.

Once it is completed, it will improve the traffic conditions in Chattogram and speed up the economic development of Bangladesh.

It will also ensure improvement of the Asian Highway Network and the connectivity between Bangladesh and its other neighbouring countries. It will cut the road distance between Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar and will also ease traffic on the Dhaka- Chattogram Highway.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN)

The development work of BSMSN is underway in full swing on around 30,000 acres of land located at Mirsarai, Sitakundu of Chattogram and Sonagazi upazila of Feni.

Some big local and foreign companies have already signed deals with the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) to establish their factories in the zone.

The industrial city will alone create employment for 15 lakh people and export goods worth over $15 billion, according to an estimate of BEZA. Most importantly, Bangladesh’s exports will be diversified from apparel.