Sandy shores await makeover as Cox's Bazar's transformation day set for 11 Nov
Apart from the Cox's Bazar railway line, the Prime Minister will inaugurate 13 projects worth Tk53,500 crore
The residents of Cox's Bazar surely have one day marked: 11 November. It's the day the metamorphosis will begin.
On 11 November, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is going to inaugurate the Cox's Bazar railway line, built at a cost of Tk18,000 crore.
The rail line has been long awaited – it's the first time the beautiful sandy beaches of the city will be connected to the country's rail network.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
A test run of the railway on 5 November was greeted by thousands of people, waving flags and chanting the psalms of development – videos of the heart-warming incident instantly went viral. Commercial operation using the railway is set to begin 1 December.
But that's just the start.
Alongside the railway, the premier is also set to inaugurate 13 more projects, totalling Tk53.5 thousand crore.
On the same day, Hasina will also lay the foundation stones for three projects totalling some Tk68,000 crore, Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Shaheen Imran confirmed to The Business Standard.
The 13 projects awaiting inauguration include the Matarbari 1,200 MW coal-based thermal power plant, which is connected to the national grid in Dwip Upazila Kutubdia through submarine cables.
There is also the 595 metre PC Box Girder bridge over the Bakkhali River on Kasturi Ghat, the canal lining approach road and bridge at Cox's Bazar Sadar, alongside various other projects.
Of these, the Matarbari coal-based plant is one of the mega projects of the government, built at a cost of Tk51,854 crore with the assistance of the Japanese government.
A quick look
The first unit of the Matarbari plant began trial production on 29 July 29, generating 12 megawatts by October.
Matarbari Power Project Supervising Engineer Manwar Hossain Majumder said the electricity generated is already being supplied to the national grid.
The Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (CPGCBL) is implementing the power plant project on 1,608 acres of land between Matarbari and Dhalghata Union, an isolated island of Maheshkhali Upazila.
According to project documents, the cost of the Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal Fired Power project approved in 2014 was estimated at Tk35,984 crore. The revised cost of the project is estimated at Tk51,854.88 crore.
The majority of the cost is being given by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Meanwhile, expectations are high in Dwip upazila's Kutubudia. The area was first connected to the national grid through submarine cables on a trial basis on 13 April, benefitting some 1,500 residents of the island.
Director of the project and supervising engineer of Bangladesh Power Development Board Farooq Ahmed said in 1980, the island had electricity supply for a few hours in the evening through generators.
But now, some 20,000 customers of the island will get power for the first time.
Project officials said the government in 2020 took the project to bring 100% of the people under electricity facilities.
A Tk400 crore "100% Reliable and Sustainable Electrification of Hatiya Island, Nijhum Island and Kutubdia Island" was taken, slated for June 2023.
But electricity from the national grid reached the island ahead of schedule.
Engineer Md Farooq Ahmed said, under the project, Kutubudia has been connected to the national electricity grid through submarine cables.
A 6km long cable was laid in two lanes under the sea to receive electricity.
In regards to the 595m PC Box Girder Bridge at Kasturi Ghat of Bakkhali river, officials of the Local Government Engineering Department said the infrastructure was being made at a cost of Tk259 crore.
The official work of the bridge started on 1 September 2019. The construction was supposed to be completed by 21 August, 2021, but it took until October 2023 due to the Covid-19 epidemic and various complications.
Executive Engineer of Cox's Bazar LGED, the project implementing organisation, Mamun Khan said, "The Bakkhali River flows on the north side of Cox's Bazar city. The place in which the bridge was built on the bank was a wasteland. Now, there is a spectacular bridge.
"The bridge has added a new dimension for the tourism industry and it will play a very important role in expanding the city of Cox's Bazar in another direction."
