Dhaka airport expansion project gets costlier
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday approved the first revision of the expansion of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA-1st phase) project with an additional cost of Tk 7,788.59 crore, reports UNB.
ECNEC also extended the project period till June 2025.
The approval came from the weekly ECNEC meeting held at NEC conference room with ECNEC chairperson prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area in the capital.
With the additional cost, the total expenditure of the HSIA expansion project now stands at Tk 21,399.06 crore against the original outlay of Tk 13,610.47 crore.
“Today's meeting approved seven projects involving the cost of TK 9,241.25, including Tk 7,788.59 crore additional cost of HSIA expansion project,” said planning minister MA Mannan while briefing newsmen after the meeting.
Of the total cost, Tk 4,315.1 crore will come from government funds, while the rest Tk 4,926.24 crore as project loan.
Among the seven projects, five are new and the remaining two are revised ones.
The two revised projects are HSIA Expansion (1st phase-1st revised) and Construction of Bangladesh Chancery Complex in Islamabad of Pakistan (3rd revised).
The project was undertaken to ensure security of international standard for Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport amid the growing air traffic.
The main project operations include construction of a third passenger terminal on a space of 230,000 square metres with 115 check-in counters, 64 departure immigration points, 64 arrival immigration points, 27 baggage ex-ray machines, 40 cabin ex-ray machines, 12 boarding bridges, 16 conveyor belts and 11 body scanners.
Besides, the project cost of the Construction of Bangladesh Chancery Complex in Islamabad of Pakistan (3rd revised) increased to Tk 79.86 crore with an additional cost of Tk 15.34 crore.
The five fresh projects approved at the ECNEC meeting are Upgrading the Kushtia portion of Jhenaidah-Kushtia-Pakshi-Dashuria Highway into a four-lane one with an estimated cost of Tk 574.17 crore, Upgrading Keraniganj to Hasara of Munshiganj District Highway with Tk 409.05 crore, Upgrading Ramu-Fatehkharkul-Morichhya National Highway with Tk 266.17 crore, Upgrading Nageshwari-Kashipur-Fulbari-Kulaghat-Lalmonirhat district highway with Tk 99.35 crore and infrastructure development of three colleges in Dhaka, Madaripur and Rangpur districts with Tk 88.58 crore.