Circular bus service around Dhaka by 2023

The government has taken up a project to build an outer ring road around the capital for a circular bus service. The project will be implemented at a cost of Tk38,000 crore under government-to-government (G2G) partnership with Japan. The first instalment (southern part) of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) project was approved at a Cabinet Committee meeting on Economic Affairs at the Secretariat on Wednesday.   

After the meeting, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told the press that the 48-kilometre ring-road will play a vital role in easing traffic congestion in the metropolis. The first phase of the project, the southern part, will be implemented under the 'Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer' system. 

Kamal said the feasibility study for this will begin soon, and the government will invite tender after the study is complete.

The contractor who wins the tender will begin work in 2020. The first phase of the project is scheduled to be completed by 2023 at an estimated cost of Tk10,200 crore.

The government has taken-up a transportation action plan for the growing population of the capital. The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is one of the approaches with the inner, outer and ring-road portions.

The committee also approved the purchase of 15 million lamination foil papers and booklets for Machine Readable Passports at a cost of Tk 41 crore. The Department of Immigration and Passports will not float any tender for this. It will follow the direct procurement method instead.  

Another meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase also took place at the Secretariat on Wednesday. Finance Minister Mustafa Kamal, who led the meeting, said that they have given the go ahead for five projects.

Among those, the meeting approved the construction of five 10-storied buildings for the cleaning staff of the two Dhaka City Corporations. The housings will be built in the Dhalpur and the Doyaganj areas of the capital, and will be termed 'Cleaners Colonies'.   

"The project was approved as part of the government's accommodation for all plan," said the finance minister.   

The housing facilities at Doyaganj will be built at an estimated cost of Tk 79 crore and will have 500 apartments. The Dhalpur housings, at an estimated construction cost of Tk 84 crore, will have 480 flats.

Other projects approved at the meeting include: Consultancy services for engineering, procurement and construction management under the greater Dhaka sustainable urban transportation project; Expanding the power distribution network in Dhaka, Mymensingh, Chattogram and Sylhet to ensure 100 percent electrification to all; Enhancing the capacity of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board.