Staff Reporter :
The government has planned to procure four cutter suction dredgers, auxiliary vessels and a buoy lifting ship at a cost of Tk 700 crore with a view to expediting the dredging of 8000 kilometer river routes across the country.
State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury inaugurated the construction work of four cutter suction dredgers and auxiliary vessels at Karnaphuli Ship Builders Limited’s dockyard in Narayanganj on Tuesday.
The dredgers will help in the development and maintenance of the navigability of the waterways and the installation and replacement of buoys in the channel of the Mongla port.
Dredgers and other vessels will be constructed at Karnaphuli Ship Builders Limited’s dockyard in Narayanganj’s port.
Speaking on the occasion, the State Minister for Shipping said, “We have acquired the capability to build all kinds of vessels. Bangabandhu has made a second revolution in advancing war-torn Bangladesh. The country plunged into darkness after the assassination of Bangabandhu. Propaganda war was carried out in the name of Bangabandhu using state resources to usurp power. Zia, Ershad, Khaleda Zia did nothing for the development of the country. They have ruled and exploited the people of the country.”
Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said, Zia, Ershad, Khaleda Zia could not give anything to the country except plundering.
“In the last 13 years, the country has come a long way under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangabandhu. Development is taking place in all fields, not just the naval sector. Bangladesh has gained the power to hold on to sovereignty. The country’s economy did not stop even during the coronavirus epidemic and development activities did not stop. The present government has been able to keep the people of Bangladesh safe and it is only because of the Awami League government is in power and because of the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” he added.
Among others, secretary of the shipping ministry Mohammed Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury, Chairman of Mongla Port Rear Admiral Mohammad Musa, Chairman of Bangladesh Inland Shipping Corporation Ahmad Shamim Al Raji, Chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Commodore Golam Sadek and Managing Director of Karnaphuli Ship Builders Limited MA Rashid also spoke on the occasion.
The government had a target to develop 8000 kilometers of inland waterways through dredging 100 rivers aiming at restoring round-the-year navigability.
Once the rivers are dredged, it would help to make the inland waterways and ferry routes of the country suitable for smooth movement of ferries, launches, cargo vessels and other vessels round the year.
The government has taken steps to procure 35 dredgers and auxiliary vessels to meet the demand by increasing dredging capacity of BIWTA to 3.25 crore cubic meters.
The project implementation period has fixed between 2018 and 2023 and project cost is Tk 4489 crore three lakh and 42 thousands.
