Two mega projects in Chittagong are set to get a big push, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping laying their foundation stones next week, reports BSS. The Bangladesh premier and the Chinese president are expected to lay the foundation of Chinese Special Economic and Industrial Zone (CSEIZ) and Karnaphuli River Tunnel on October 14, state minister for land Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Zabed told the news agency. “The foundation laying will be held through video conferencing from the capital city,” said Zabed who was elected to parliament from a Chittagong constituency. Xi Jinping is coming to Dhaka on October 14 on a two-day visit, which is expected to take Bangladesh-China relationship to a new height.China finances the two mega projects involving Tk 36,000 crore. Out of the amount, Tk 20,000 crore would be spent for building a tunnel under the river Karnaphuli, keeping Tk 16,000 crore for the special economic and industrial zone. Officials earlier said construction works of the two projects were expected to begin in 2017 and to be completed in 2020. “The Karnaphuli Tunnel and Industrial Zone will open a new horizon for industrialization in southern Chittagong . . . they would contribute to the country’s economic growth and bring significant improvement to the livelihood of local community,” Jabed said. During the Bangladesh premier’s 2014 Beijing visit, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on building the tunnel. The country’s first-ever tunnel is designed to make Chittagong into a ‘One City Two Towns’ like Chinese mega city Shanghai. The multilane tunnel route will pass through the river close to Navy College on one side and Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) and Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company (KAFCO) on the other. The tunnel will cut the road distance between Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar,apart from facilitating the heavy traffic on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway entering the port city to go to other parts of Chittagong division. The tunnel will also connect Chittagong Port and Anowara Upazila and is expected to ease the port city’s communication with Cox’s Bazar and particularly the traffic on two bridges over the Karnaphuli River. Chinese Special Economic and Industrial Zone will be developed in Anwara upazila on 774 acres of land to meet the growing domestic and global demands for Bangladeshi products. On completion, the industrial park will accommodate around 371 industrial units. BEZA already signed a MoU with a Chinese company for developing the CSEIZ at Anwara Upazila of the district. The proposed site of the zone is 39 kilometres from Chittagong port, 28 kilometres from Chittagong city and 46 kilometres from Shah Amanat International Airport.
