Chattogram Bureau :
Government is going to develop the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive road by increasing the width of a 32km stretch from 3.7m to 7.3m, an effort to boost the local economy by attracting tourists and agro investments. Besides, new bridges will be constructed on the road and its various defects will be repaired.Running through the world’s longest beach on one side and green hills on the other, the Marine Drive is playing a vital role in the local economy, including the tourism and agriculture sectors.However, various defects in the 80km long road have been causing traffic congestions and accidents since its inauguration. It is also at risk of severe damage due to natural calamities, including sea erosion.
Road Transport and Highways Division has already sent a proposal to the Planning Commission for a Tk1,021.61 crore project titled “Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive Road Widening” to develop a 32km stretch of the existing road in the first phase.But the Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) of the commission at a recent meeting recommended revising the proposal.
The PEC meeting chaired by Mamun Al Rashid, a member of the Physical Infrastructure Division of the Planning Commission, reviewed the allocations for various sectors, including foreign tour, road survey, consultant recruitment, land filling, geotextile, etc.
The proposed cost of the project to increase the width of the 32km stretch is around 132% of the construction cost of the whole road.The Planning Commission raised questions about the proposed allocations for various sectors, including foreign tour, survey, consultancy, land acquisition, land filling, etc. The project proposal has asked for an allocation of Tk523 crore for acquiring 123 acres of land.But the PEC meeting proposed reducing some of the allocations, including cancelling foreign tours that would cost Tk1.1 crore, considering the Covid-19 pandemic.Mamun said the Marine Drive has great potential for the development of tourism and agro-based economy in Cox’s Bazar zone as w ell as port city of Chattogram. The project proposal will be presented to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) for final approval after revision. After the ECNEC approval, the Bangladesh Army will implement it along with the Roads and Highways Department (RHD), a sources said.
