PM watches civil works completion of 1st tube

CHATTOGRAM, Nov 26: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday saw the completion of civil works of the first tube of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel under the Karnaphuli River.
Sheikh Hasina said that the government was developing the national economy on an unbeatable speed.
She said that construction of a road communication tunnel under a river
was beyond the imagination of Zia, Ershad and Khaleda Zia.
She said construction of the tunnel would facilitate speedy development of the national economy and brighten the image of the country.She said that none would be able to halt Bangladesh's progress.
The tunnel would make Chattogram, one city two towns, just like Shanghai.
Sheikh Hasina said that her government was implementing massive  development activities in Chattogram.
She said that an obvious question was why Bangladesh was not developed from 1975 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2008.
The tunnel will be opened to traffic in February, said officials.
The tunnel is under construction at a cost of Tk 10,537 crore to turn Chattogram into 'One City Two Towns'.
The civil works of the second tube is expected to be completed in January, said the contractors.
The tunnel, a project of the Road Transport and the Bridges Ministry, is under construction by a Chinese contractor.
The 3.32 km tunnel, South Asia's first under-river road tunnel.
In 2016, Sheikh Hasina and Chinese leader Xi Jinping inaugurated construction of the tunnel.
Chinese EXIM Bank lent Tk 5,913 crore for the project.
The deadline for completion of the project has been extended one year until  December 2023.  
The construction cost escalated by Tk 2,064 crore to Tk 10,537 crore.
The tunnel, on completion, would reduce distance between Chattogram and Cox's Bazar by road and ease traffic on Dhaka-Chattogram Highway.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader was in the chair at the inauguration while Bridges Division Secretary Md Monjur Hossain delivered the welcome address.
Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam and Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming also spoke, while Principal Secretary to the prime minister Dr Ahmad Kaikaus moderated the event.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, former Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Deputy Minister for Water Resources AKM Enamul Hoque Shameem, Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury and Whip Shamsul Huq attended the event.
A video documentary on the tunnel was screened.