Govt plans to reduce 40 per cent dependency on Sadarghat

The government has a plan to reduce 40 per cent dependency on Dhaka’s main river port Sadarghat by developing a modern port at Smashanghat of Postagala.

As part of the World Bank funded project, another river port will be developed in Narayanganj to ease heavy traffic on water routes to meet the challenges of 2042 when the country is expected to earn the status of a developed country, said discussants at a feasibility study report presentation ceremony on Monday.

They said that ports in Chandpur and Barishal will also be renovated and Deck and Engine Personnel Training Centre in Narayanganj will be upgraded by spending Tk 476 crore.

These four river ports, they said, would provide finger pier berthing facilities for vessels which are found in any modern river port in the developed countries.

It would be the first phase of the Tk 3,200 crore Bangladesh Regional Waterway Transport Project, they said, adding that the World Bank will fund Tk 2,800 crore with 0.75 per cent interest.

The remaining Tk 400 crore would be invested by the government with the aim of developing trading routes with India using river channels, they said.   

The feasibility study of the first phase of the development of inland waterways passenger transportation was presented at the CIRDAP auditorium by World Bank task team leader Rajesh Rohatgi.

The state minister for shipping, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, was present at the programme as chief guest. Shipping secretary Md Abdus Samad and representatives of passengers, sailors and owners of cargo carriers and ferries were present at the programme chaired by Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority chairman Commodore M Mahbub Ul Islam.  

‘The government is working to regain the popularity of the inland waterways transportation and is committed to increasing the navigation channel to 10,000 km, which at present is only 6,000 km during the monsoon,’ Khalid said.

‘The inland water transportation will play an important role in ensuring regional connectivity and achieving the development goal set by the government by the year of 2041,’ he added.

The shipping secretary suggested that the World Bank study team should incorporate views of the sailors, ship owners and passengers before handing over the study to the government.

He also suggested implementing the project immediately to ease the huge pressure of passengers at Sadarghat, especially during the holidays.

Sadarghat will also be expanded under a separate project, he said.

In 2018, a total of 34.6 million passengers used Sadarghat port to go to different districts, reads the feasibility study that projects that the number will be 218.74 million in 2042.

Commodore Mahbub told New Age that the Tk 3,200 crore project would also facilitate training with the Indian eastern provinces known as seven sisters using river channels.

‘The project also includes development of two cargo terminals near Pangaon and in Ashuganj and rivers will be dredged for uninterrupted navigation from the Chittagong Port to Ashuganj, Dhaka and Barishal,’ he said.

The local industries will also benefit from the project, he observed.  

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net