Bangabandhu Tunnel: Landowners write to PM for compensation 

The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel, running beneath the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram, will be inaugurated on 28 October, but the landowners affected by the project have not yet received compensation.

Some 800 affected families on Sunday (15 October) submitted a memorandum, addressed to the prime minister, to Chattogram District Administration, which forwarded it to Anupam Saha, deputy project director of the tunnel.

The landowners and local representatives claimed that one-third of the affected people have not yet been able to withdraw compensation money for various reasons and are now demanding that the rehabilitation programme be extended for another five years.

Nawab Ali, chairman of Boirag union, Anwara upazila, Chattogram, said, "The people of this area have been affected due to acquisitions. Many things were not normal due to Covid-19. We are requesting to extend the rehabilitation and ensure compensation for everyone." 

Harunur Rashid Chowdhury, project director of the tunnel, said, "Our project work is over. The agencies concerned have worked so that no one is harmed in terms of compensation. We will try to make sure that people get their compensation properly."

The 3.43km Bangabandhu tunnel, South Asia's first and longest underwater road tunnel, will make travel on the Dhaka-Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway easier.