Kaladan News

Dated: Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Burmese Delegation Submits Design, Land Document to Dhaka

Chittagong, March 29: Yesterday, the visiting Burmese delegation submitted to Dhaka the land-acquisition report and arrangement design of the Burma-Bangladesh Friendship Link Road to Communications Minister Nazamul Huda of Bangladesh, according to the Daily Azadi, a local Bengali newspaper.

The Financial Taskforce of Burma submitted the report and design to the Technical Taskforce of Bangladesh in a meeting at the Communications Ministry here yesterday.

Managing Director of Burma Construction Ministry U Han Zaw led the visiting five-member financial task force including the members of the Financial Taskforce of Burma were Public Works Director of Construction Ministry U Kywe Wa and Director of Budget Department of Finance and Revenue Ministry U Soe Thein.

In the meeting, they especially made discussion about speedy implementation of the project to connect Dhaka and Rangoon with direct road link.

The meeting also discussed the prospect of getting financial assistance from some donor countries and international financial institutions, including ADB and China, in addition to the finance from Bangladesh in implementing the project quickly.

According to the sources, construction of 153km Ramu-Gundom-Taungbro-Bawli Bazar-Kyauktaw road alignment of the road project would be done in two phases involving Tk 933.46 crore.

In the first phase, the Bangladesh government will construct 20km Taungbro-Bawli Bazar road, two big bridges and 90 culverts in Burma at a cost of about Tk 94 crore as "token of friendship".

Engineers and contractors from Bangladesh will construct the road and bridges. Construction Ministry of Burma will provide all other assistance.

Bangladesh sought financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank in constructing the 110km Bawli Bazar-Kyauktaw road, the second phase of the works. This part of the road costs Tk 770.26 crore

Besides, assistance will also be sought from China and some other donor countries in implementing the second phase.

Work on the 23km Ramu-Gundom road in Bangladesh part in the first phase will also be done with own finances of Bangladesh government, amounting to Tk 163.39 crore.

From Bangladesh side, Chief of the Technical Taskforce of Bangladesh and Additional Chief Engineer of Roads and Highways Department Md Idris Mian, Chief Engineer Faizur Rahman, Communications Secretary Md Shafiqul Islam and senior engineers of the department were present at the meeting.

The two taskforces will discuss the technical and financial aspects of the project in the next two days. ##

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