Posted on February 22, 2023
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority has submitted a proposal to the cabinet committee of economic affairs for approval to dredge a river route by the Bangladesh Navy under the direct purchase method.
The BIWTA under the shipping ministry submitted the proposal in the past week, said the cabinet division officials.
Finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal who heads the committee is likely to review the proposal in a meeting to be held tomorrow (Wednesday).
Officials said that the BIWTA had been implementing a project since 2018 to improve navigability of the river route from Mongla to Pakshi via Chandpur-Mawa-Goalanda at a cost of Tk 956 crore.
The project aimed at facilitating safe and easy transportation of heavy machinery from Chottagram and Mongla ports for setting up the Rooppur nuclear power plant.
The cost of the projects, however, was revised upward to Tk 1,290 crore during the first revision in December 2021.
The original deadline of the project is 2025 that has remained unchanged.
The BIWTA in its proposal to the cabinet committee said that some 160.37 lakh cubic-meter areas of river route would be dredged.
It added that some areas of the river route were remote and critical which required high expertise while supporting its view to award the work to the navy.
The BIWTA estimated that a Tk 362 crore would be required for completing the dredging work in four packages.
