Hasina grabbed over Tk 5,000 cr

Constructing unnecessary tunnel
aggravates loan burden on nation

Staff Correspondent: The ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina has implemented some costly mega projects with historic high cost including the Bangabandhu Tunnel under the river Karnafuli at Chittagong. The construction cost of the tunnel was Tk 10,500 crore but the real cost of the tunnel should be maximum Tk 5000 crore. Experts of the sector said that Hasina has grabbed over Tk 5000 crore from the tunnel. It is also one of the unnecessary projects, they commented.
It is said that about 17,000 vehicles will run daily, but the maximum 3,000 vehicles plied in a day. The daily toll is being collectedTk 1.5 lakh, butthe toll of Shah Amanat Bridge is Tk 20 lakh being collected every day.
Incidentally, the Bangabandhu Tunnel built at a cost of around Tk 10,500 crores has now become a burden on the shoulders. Most of the time the tunnel is empty. No traffic pressure. Before the construction, the traffic survey said that about Tk 17,000 vehicles will move daily. But now maximum 3000 vehicles are plying daily. The concerned persons said that at present, about Tk 1 lakh 50 thousand toll is being collected daily from the tunnel. But Tk 20 lakh to Tk 25 lakh daily toll is being collected from Karnaphuli Shah Amanat Bridge at a cost of Tk 590 crore. The tunnel of dreams has now become a burden to the nation due to stagnation in domestic and foreign investment and lack of adequate transport system.

The tunnel is connected to the Anwara area by the side of the Naval Academy in Patenga area of the city, through the bottom of the Karnaphuli river, on the south side of the Karnaphuli river, between Kafco and CUFL. The length of the tunnel is 3.32 km. Tk 10,689 crore have been spent on the construction of the tunnel. Among them, Chinese Exim Bank has financed Tk 6,700 crore and Bangladesh Government has financed Tk 4,619.71 crore. Chinese Exim Bank has given this loan at 2 percent interest. According to related sources, China’s debt repayment will start from next year.
Tanveer Rifat, assistant engineer (toll and traffic) of the tunnel said, “In the last 8 months after the opening of the tunnel, Tk 30 crore 96 lakh 99 thousand toll has been collected. The number of private cars and microbuses is high among the vehicles plying here. Other heavy vehicles are not moving like that.
After the completion of the construction work in 2023, the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina officially inaugurated the tunnel on October 28 last year. Traffic through the tunnel started from November 29. During the feasibility study before the construction of the tunnel, it was mentioned that 17,260 vehicles will ply daily after the opening of the tunnel. Later in 2025 it is expected to increase to 28,305 vehicles per day. But currently only about 3000 vehicles are running daily according to the toll collection officials.
According to the information received, about Tk 31 crores of toll revenue has been collected in the eight months from last November 29 to July this year. It is said that there is no movement of goods vehicles through the toll. Private cars, microbuses and some buses ply. As a result, tolls are not being collected as expected. Since its opening, people have taken private car microbuses to visit the tunnel. As a result, the toll collection was good for a couple of months in the beginning. Now the tunnel is empty most of the time. No vehicle pressure. As a result, the long connecting road at the Anwara end of the tunnel is often empty.
During the construction of the tunnel, the dream was to develop ‘One City Two Towns’ on the model of Shanghai, China. Industrial plants will be built on a large scale at the Anwara end of the tunnel. Massive employment of people will be created. At that time, Chittagong’s business leaders and political leaders said that the development of communication system and large-scale industries would be developed. However, it is not possible to say when the stagnation of domestic and foreign investment in the country will end. There has been no new foreign investment in Chittagong in the last few years. There is stagnation in domestic investment as well. Gas, electricity-crisis, lack of space, new investment is not happening.
Chittagong business leader Md. Nashir Uddin Chowdhury said, “There is no new investment. The tunnel was used as a tourist attraction for some days. If the tunnel connected road is connected with Chandanish Cox’s Bazar road, traffic can increase. But now there is no possibility of increasing economic income.
Syed Nazrul Islam, vice president of BGMEA, said, “It seems that the tunnel was not needed at the moment, but it has been built with a target of 100 years in the future. South Chittagong has many vacant lots. Many investors have bought land. Being a deep sea port. Then the need for tunnels will increase.
The tunnel has been built at the southern edge of Chittagong city. Traffic is not moving due to the location of the tunnel. But from Shah Amanat bridge built on Karnaphuli, Tk 20 lakh to Tk 25 lakh is being collected daily.
Engineer Subhas Barua, vice-president of the planned Chittagong Forum, said that a suitable tunnel system has not been developed. Tunnels have been constructed without providing transportation. With the cost of one kilometer of tunnel construction, it would have been possible to build a transport system in the entire Chittagong city. Even if the car does not run, the maintenance cost of the tunnel, security has to be spent. Toxic gases have to be taken out and oxygen put in. Due to the lack of foresight, the foreign debt for the construction of the tunnel has now become a burden on the shoulders.