২৩শে নভেম্বর, ২০২৪ খ্রিস্টাব্দ
সংস্করণ:
Thousand years old historical river Karnaphuli. Karnaphuli has held all the people in its basin for thousands of years. Karnaphuli is traditional in social, cultural and economic aspects. There is a legend behind the naming of this river – after failing to retrieve the lost ear flower, the prince along with the princess jumped into the river and both of them got buried. Due to that tragic incident, this river was named Karnaphuli.
Lunglei district is located on the Bangladesh border of Mizoram state, surrounded by hills and deep forests in the south-eastern part of India. The international river Karnaphuli originates from the mountainous Tolabung or Lusai hills of Demagri, 95 km from the district headquarters. From there Karnaphuli crossed the high mountain range and entered Bangladesh through Thegamukh. India is on the right side of Karnaphuli and Bangladesh is on the left side of Karnaphuli, which is six kilometers from Thegamukh of Barakal upazila of Rangamati district to Bara Harina mouth. The mountain river Karnaphuli crosses the Bangladesh border and flows 187 km before falling into the Bay of Bengal. Note that the length of Karnaphuli is 320 km. The length of the Bangladesh part is 275 km. From the source of Karnaphuli to the estuary, various townships and urban civilizations have developed on both sides. An unprecedented harbor has been created at the mouth of this river. Karnaphuli joins the Bay of Bengal 17 km from Chittagong city.
The Karnaphuli River originates from Lusai hill in Chittagong Hill Tracts and divides Chittagong city into two parts and joins the Bay of Bengal. The main city and port area of Chittagong is located on the western side of the Karnaphuli river and the heavy industrial area on the other side is located on the eastern side. Moreover, it was not possible to handle the increasing traffic by the two existing bridges. Therefore, in order to keep the normal operation of Chittagong port intact, the problem of sediment accumulation was solved: Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took a far-sighted decision to build a tunnel under the river instead of building any other bridge in order to expand Chittagong city to the east bank of the river Karnaphuli by decongesting Chittagong city.
In view of this, the technical and economic feasibility study of this project was started in 2011 by the Bangladesh Bridge Authority under the Bridge Department with its own funding and the feasibility study was completed in 2013. As a result, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on a G2G basis with the Chinese government to build the tunnel in June 2014 during the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s visit to China.Later, on June 30, 2015, a commercial agreement was signed for the construction of the tunnel Bangladesh Bridge Authority and China Communications Construction Company Ltd. In November 2015 ECNEC approved the project proposal titled “Construction of multi lane road tunnel under Karnaphuli River”. Then on October 14, 2016, its loan agreement was signed with China EXIM BANK by the Department of Economic Relations. The same day, His Excellency the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping and the Honorable Prime Minister of the Government of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation for the construction of the tunnel. The physical operation of the project was started on 5 December 2017. The project was supposed to be completed by December 2022, but limited speed of work to comply with the health rules announced by the government during the Corona period, the project period was extended by 01 year to December 2023.
Length of main tunnel is 3.32 km, length of tunnel tube is 2.450 km, total length of tunnel approach road is 5.35 km, number of tunnel tubes is 2, maximum depth of tunnel is 42.80 m, diameter (inner) of tunnel is 10.80 m, diameter (outer) 11.80 m, tunnel has 2 lanes (in each tube) inside.The tunnel is earthquake resistant of 9 magnitudes on the Richter scale, scanner machines and UVSS systems are installed at both ends of the tunnel, weighting scales for Over Load Control. The total cost of the tunnel is 10 thousand 689 crore 71 lakh taka.
After opening the “Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel” under the Karnaphuli River for traffic, development of housing projects, industrial development, development of tourism industry and development of easy communication system are taking place in Anwara area. A scenic service area adjacent to Parki Beach is being constructed to develop the tourism industry at the Anwara end. This service area which can later be used as a resort has one VIP bungalow, 30 ordinary bungalows, a convention hall with a capacity of 750 people, a resort reception building, a motel mess of 48 units, health center, museum, mosque, swimming pool, heli pad, water purification plant, accommodation for staff and other facilities are there. After opening the tunnel for vehicles, in case of fire or any kind of accident inside the tunnel, in case of emergency, provision has been made for safe exit through 3 cross passages (about 600 meters apart) by moving to the side safe tunnel tube.
As the tunnel is open to traffic, the capacity of Chittagong as a transport hub has increased while keeping the performance of Chittagong port intact. The communication system of Dhaka-Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar national highway has been developed, that is, by bypassing the city of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar has been directly connected to Dhaka. Due to the development of the communication system on both sides of the Karnaphuli river, the city will be expanded at the Anwara end. The traffic pressure on the existing 02 (two) bridges over the Karnaphuli river is decreasing. This will encourage the residents of the main city to live on the east side of the Karnaphuli river. Chittagong city will be developed in “One City and Two Town” model like Shanghai in China. Connection with Asian highway network will be established.
“Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel” being opened for traffic will have a positive impact on the port city of Chittagong and the overall economy of the country. By bypassing Chittagong city, the distance of Cox’s Bazar from Dhaka will be reduced by about 50 km and traffic congestion in Chittagong city will be reduced to a great extent. In the future, domestic engineers will be able to develop the country and the nation with their knowledge and experience gained in tunnel/subway construction. Huge potential for investment from Mirsarai to Cox’s Bazar has already been created. As “Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel” is open for traffic, massive employment will be created in Anwara area due to development of housing industry, industrial development, development of tourism industry and easy communication system. The construction of this tunnel will increase the national GDP by 0.166%. As a result, “Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel” will contribute immensely in building a developed and prosperous country for the implementation of Vision 2041.
PID Feature
