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2 mega projects
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depot at Pitalganj in Narayanganj’s Rupganj upazila.
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL), the implementing agency of the project, has already hired a Japan-Bangladesh joint-venture firm for constructing the depot. Japanese firm Tokyu Construction Co Ltd and Bangladeshi’s Max Infrastructure Ltd will carry out the work within 910 days for Tk 607.65 crore. Of the amount, Japan will provide Tk 525.82 crore as loan.
The 31.24km rail line will have two parts -- the 19.87km part from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kamalapur (Airport route) will be built underground and the 11.36km part will be an elevated line from Notunbazar to Purbachal (Purbachal route).
The airport route will have 12 stations and the Purbachal route nine, seven of which will be constructed above the ground. Two stations along the Purbachal route -- Nadda and Notunbazar -- will be set up underground, to be used as an interchange for passengers to switch between routes.
Once completed, the metro rail will be able to carry 8 lakh passengers every day. The deadline of the project is December 2026.
MAN Siddique, managing director of DMTCL, said unlike many other projects, they take “slice loans”, meaning they take a portion of the total loan which is required only for a particular year.
“So, taking such an amount of loan in this fiscal year will not put any pressure on the economy.”
Besides, most of the elements needed for the depot development work is available in the country, except some equipment which will be brought from abroad on the condition that those will be resent after the completion of the work, he added.
Siddique said the bills of the Japanese contractor will be paid in Japanese yen and those of the Bangladeshi contractor in taka. “So, there is no need of US dollar here.”
Expanding the 210km Dhaka-Sylhet highway into a four-lane one with service lanes on both sides will start from the Narayanganj end.
The RHD has already hired joint-venture firm of Longjian Road and Bridge Company Ltd of China and Max Infrastructure Ltd of Bangladesh for expansion of 18km portion of the road, stretching from the Kanchpur intersection in Narayanganj to Chanpara Bus Stop in the same district. The firm will get Tk 925.36 crore to complete the physical work within four years.
Another joint venture of Zhengzhou City Highway Engineering Corporation Ltd of China and Max Infrastructure Ltd will carry out the work on expansion of a 17km portion of the highway, stretching from Chanpara to Narsingdi BSCIC area, at a cost of Tk 1,394.66 crore.
Project Director AKM Fazlul Karim said the government is encouraging implementation of foreign-funded projects and the ADB will provide the money for all the work of the project except VAT and income tax.
“So, our project will not put any pressure on domestic resources,” he told The Daily Star on Thursday.
Mentionable, land acquisition and relocation of utility services for the expansion of the highway are being done under a separate project.
Fazlul said the contractors will receive their payments from ADB in US dollar and thus they will be able to clear the LC payments using that currency. This means there will be no pressure on the country’s forex reserves due to the implementation of the project, he added.

Israel hits Gaza
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Hamas feared further clashes.
“We didn’t sleep the whole night,” said 50 year-old Abdallah Al-Husary. “There is worry and there is fear, any minute a war can happen. With any clash in the West Bank, there can be war along the borders in Gaza.”
In the aftermath of Thursday’s raid, the Palestinian Authority, which has limited governing powers in the West Bank, said it was suspending a security cooperation arrangement with Israel that is widely credited with helping to keep order in the territory and preventing attacks against Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who returned to power this year at the head of one of the most right-wing governments in Israel’s history, said Israel was not looking to escalate the situation, although he ordered security forces to be on alert.
The Israeli Defence Force said yesterday’s air strikes in Gaza targeted an underground rocket manufacturing site and a military base used by Hamas.