& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

BURIGANGA PERMANENT PROTECTION

Ministry asks BIWTA to trim down project

AVIK SANWAR RAHMAN
The shipping ministry has asked Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to trim down the Tk 94 crore project to protect the Buriganga river permanently from encroachment.
The BIWTA submitted the revised project concept paper (PCP) at a meeting with the ministry on February 2, but the ministry sent it back to the BIWTA suggesting further changes in the proposal.
Sources said Shipping Minister Akbar Hossain at the meeting directed BIWTA officials to cut unnecessary components of the project. Citing shortage of funds,
he asked for recasting the project proposal.
"The PCP has been approved in principle with some revisions. We are recasting the PCP and the budget will now come down to about half," said Syed Monwar Hossain, director, port and transport of BIWTA.
According to a BIWTA source, the project cost has now been reestimated at Tk 42 crore. The total fund will be mobilised by the government.
The ministry suggests exclusion of the harbour for vessels for oil changing and garbage dumping, from the project. The harbour was included in the project to protect the river from pollution due to garbage dumping.
"The Buriganga offshore permanent protection feasibility committee of the shipping ministry advised us to include the harbour in the project, but now we are advised to exclude it," said a project official of BIWTA.
According to the original plan, the harbour was to be constructed at Kamrangirchar on a channel of the Buriganga to facilitate vessels in dumping garbage on a floating tank which will be emptied on the shore.
While revising the PCP, the BIWTA excluded from the project some components including a 60-bed rest house for launch staff, terminal building, transit shade, health centre, jetty, parking yard, dockyard and recreation centre.
The ministry however
approved construction of a 34km walkway on both sides of the river. Open yard will be kept and toilet will be constructed for the people.
The BIWTA prepared the PCP at the directive of the Prime Minister's Office and submitted it to the ministry on May 19 last year. But the approval was delayed for the ministry's query about the estimated cost of dredging the river.
Then the ministry wanted some changes in the PCP to include a harbour for vessels at Kamrangirchar and exclude a dockyard at Mirerbag. The BIWTA took another six months to revise the PCP to bring the changes in the project.