Home ›› 23 Feb 2022 ›› Front
The Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) is moving away from the concept of “One City Two Towns,” which envisioned the port city expanding to both sides of the River Karnaphuli, much like China’s Shanghai.
This conceptualisation gained much hype over the last five years as China Communication and Construction Company began constructing the 9.3km Bangabandhu Tunnel, about 3.4km of which would be under River Karnaphuli.
However, the CDA has so far taken no initiative to expand the city to the south riverbank. Instead, the agency is now leaning towards a Chinese proposal for building a smart city on the coast of Sitakunda, adjacent to Chattogram, insiders told The Business Post.
If Bangladesh accepts the proposal, it will cause a major shift in the future planning of the port city – which is going to become a regional hub with a deep seaport, and host the country’s largest industrial enclave Bangabandhu Industrial City in Mirsarai.
Confirming the matter, CDA’s Chairman Zahirul Alam Dubash, said, “The CDA has agreed to the proposal and sent it to the government for consideration. China offered to build a township, and also a metro rail from Bangabandhu Industrial City to Chattogram at its own expense.
“The proposed city will be built on the Sitakunda-Mirsarai coast on reclaimed land from the Sandwip Channel in the Bay of Bengal. There is an option in the Chinese proposal to connect the proposed city with a metro rail service, and so, we are prioritising this initiative.”
He added that the CDA has no immediate plans to expand the port city to the south bank of River Karnaphuli, but this concept will remain an option in the upcoming third City Master plan, which will be finalised by 2023.
What caused this shift?
Industrial hub Chattogram – situated on the north of River Karnaphuli and home to more than five million people – generates 40 per cent of the country’s industrial production, functions as the gateway to 80 per cent of international trade, and 50 per cent of revenue collection.
With an almost 2.25 percent yearly average urban population growth, the city will be home to seven million people by 2035, according to the United Nations Urbanisation Prospect Report 2018.
The government is building a power Hub in Maheshkhali’s Matarbari in the south and the Bangabandhu Industrial City in the north. Both landmark projects are currently under construction within about 200 sq km of Chattogram city – the first deep sea port of the region.
Besides, the construction of a tunnel under the River Karnaphuli at a cost of Tk 10,000 crore with Chinese financial and technical assistance is almost complete, and will also be opened to traffic this year.
These projects are very important for the country’s continued economic growth. One of the objectives of the tunnel construction was to establish easy communication with the deep sea port and to extend Chattogram city to the south bank of Karnaphuli River.
According to CDA sources, authorities concerned have held several meetings with development partners such as China, Japan and South Korea to expand the port city. But the partners identified major drawbacks of the city expansion plan, mainly the shortage and high cost of land.
They are not willing to invest money to buy land for building infrastructures on the south bank of Karnaphuli. Under such circumstances, the CDA considers China’s offer to build a smart city on around 40,000 – 50,000 acres of land a more viable and realistic move. Providing more details, CDA’s Chief Engineer Hassan Shams said, “To move forward with China’s proposal, we have submitted a presentation to the Ministry of Housing and Public Works earlier this month.
“A key point in the Chinese offer is the establishment of a metrorail in the port city, which will extend to Mirsarai and will be built at their own expense.”
CDA sources say at a meeting of the ministry’s parliamentary committee on Tuesday, authorities concerned decided to send the proposal to the Prime Minister’s Office for consideration.
Hassan continued, “Two major projects on both sides of Chattogram are the Deep Sea Port and Bangabandhu Industrial City. The Chinese proposal basically revolves around the Bangabandhu Industrial City, and the land required for the smart city will be reclaimed from the sea. “Very close to the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, the country’s main economic corridor, a shoal area exists in the Sandwip Channel. It is located near the designated place for Bay terminal, Chattogram port’s latest facility. China has offered to build the city on reclaimed land there.” While expressing interest in the initiative, Chinese companies said they want to manage the smart city, and share the profits with Bangladesh after selling the plots. As part of this arrangement, China will build a metro rail system with its own funds, without incurring any costs to the Bangladesh government. The CDA has not formally disclosed the names of Chinese companies who are behind the proposal.
What about urban expansion?
A 2014 survey report from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) mentions Chattogram as one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, and a commercial as well as an industrial hub in the South Asia region.
Neighboring countries have long been looking at the port city as a future regional transit hub. Initiatives for the development plan’s implementation are the order of the day in the best interest of regional prosperity. Within a few years, the Bangabandhu Industrial City, and a deep-sea port and energy hub in Matarbari will be part of a bustling economic region, which is expected to attract businesses and investors from across the globe.
A feasibility study report on the tunnel mentioned that at present the Chattogram city accounts for 6,055 acres of industrial area, of which, 5,188 acres or 86 per cent belong to the north bank of River Karnaphuli, while only 867 acres or 14 per cent to the south bank area.
As the tunnel is opened, the industrial area on the south bank will take up more than 70 per cent as there will be an opportunity to set up industries on 12,334 acres of land. With the construction of this tunnel, the Anwara-Karnaphuli area will feature a new look.
From the Anwara intersection of the tunnel and from the area adjacent to Parki sea beach to Shah Amanat Bridge under the Karnaphuli upazila – a 12-kilometer-long area along the bank of Karnaphuli River, is witnessing a series of construction by government, private and foreign agencies, but the CDA is yet to take up a project there. Among the government agencies, the Roads and Highways Department is building an 11-kilometer six-lane connecting road from the tunnel to the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar Highway. The Chinese Economic Zone in Anwara is under construction, which is the first specialised Government-to-Government economic zone in the country with a total region of 781 acres, which is likely to create around 2,00,000 jobs.
Many projects in South Chattogram are being implemented with government and foreign funding.
When asked why no urban expansion is being implemented there, CDA’s Chief Engineer Hasan Shams said, “Once our master plan is completed, we will be able to focus on the implementation of that plan.”
