‘First metro rail construction to be finalised by 2021’

The construction of the country's first metro rail, MRT Line-6, will be completed by the next year, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) assured the government.

Planning Minister MA Mannan today told reporters about it after emerging from a meeting at his office with Jica's Dhaka office representatives led by Hitoshi Hirata.

Quoting Jica officials, the minister also said the estimated cost for the recently approved Matarbari seaport development project, under Jica funding, has not been set unusually.

The current level of loss the country is counting in government projects for the coronavirus pandemic will be compensated by ensuring working in double shifts, the minister further said.

The Jica officials went to the minister's office to convey their appreciation to the government for approving the Matarbari seaport project.

"They have already showed us their different plans to implement the project. They assured us that they would execute it as per the plan," said Mannan.

The planning minister also said all other Jica projects in Bangladesh will be completed in 2028.

Last week, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved the Matarbari seaport development project where the construction cost for each kilometer of road was estimated at Tk160 crore.

Earlier, the road construction cost in the Payra port development project was set at Tk60 crore per one kilometer.

A comparatively high cost estimation for road construction in the Matarbari seaport received much criticisms. Planning Minister Mannan said the issue was also discussed in the meeting today.

He said there should be no comparison between the Matarbari seaport and the Payra seaport. Because, the latter was constructed several years ago.

Regarding the coronavirus, the minister said Bangladesh's economy, for sure, will undergo losses owing to the virus. "But, all the citizens will have to work with us in two shifts to recover from the losses."