67% works of Chaktai-Kalurghat marine drive road completed

Over 67 per cent of works of the 8.5 kilometres long Chaktai to Kalurghat marine drive road at a cost of Tk 2779.4 crore have been completed.

Rajib Das, executive engineer of Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) said at least 67 per cent construction works of the project have been completed so far.

PD Rajib said construction works of 2.5 Kilometers have already been completed and the rest 5.5 km long project has been progressing fast.

He said the payment of compensation to land owners by CDA has nearing been completed. At present 10 regulator/sluice gates, slope protection at the regulator and earth filling of the dam are in progress, the CDA executive engineer said.

Meanwhile, the scheduled time for completion of the project had been extended for one year more. Earlier, the scheduled time for completion was June 2023. Presently, it has been extended to June 2024.

The construction works of the project were inaugurated in June 2018 last with the construction of a sluice gate at the estuary of Chaktai canal.

A total of 11 sluice gates have been constructed at the estuary of 11 canals of the city under this project. The project was approved in the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) held on April 25 in 2017.

The embankment-cum-road will be a four-lane and its height will be 24 feet above sea level and 80 feet in width as per the guidelines of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

A total of 12 high-tide protection regulators and pump houses have been installed at the entry point of 12 canals to remove rain water quickly from the city area to the canals.

Zamal Hossain, former councillor of Chattogram city Corporation, said after completion of the marine drive construction, the vehicles bound for the north and northeastern region of Chattogram from the southeast will directly reach Kaptai, Rangunia and Boalkhali upazilas of the district without entering the port city.