Bagerhat Correspondent :
Tender for the appointment of contractors for the construction of the proposed Mongla (Sea Port)-Khulna Rail line and the Railway Bridge over the river Rupsa will be invited on January 25.
A total of 85.86- kilommetre long rail lines will be constructed under the project Out of them 64.75 kilometre rail lines will be the main lines and 21.11 kilometre lines will be the siding loops-yard lines.
The construction cost of the rail line is estimated at Tk.1100 crores while the construction cost of the railway bridge over the river Rupsa is estimated at Tk. 981 crores.
As many as 700 acres of lands will be acquired from Khulna to Mongla for the construction of the rail lines. It is expected that the project will be completed within 31st December, 2019. Some 8 railway stations will be constructed from Mongla to Fultala via Katakahali under Fakirhat Upazila in Bagerhat district. By this time the sketch of the design of the project was already done.
Project Director (PD) Md. Abdul Hye disclosed to the newsmen, all sorts of preparations have already been taken by the Railway Ministry by this time to construct Mongla-Khulna rail line. With this end in view all the necessary documents have already been sent to the Deputy Commissioners of Bagerhat and Khulna districts for the acquisition of lands. He added, the acquisition of lands will be started in the present month.
A some of Tk.4 hundred crores was already released He further disclosed, we have already completed the sketches of project on top priority basis. He also added, the last date for the sale of tender is January 25. On the same day the tenders will be opened. The Project Director said, the land acquisition-works will be completed very quickly and the construction works for the installation of the rail line will be also started as early as possible.
Md. Mansur Ali Shikdar, Secretary-in-charge of the Ministry of Railway affair told the newsmen, all the preparations for the construction of the proposed Mongla-Khulna rail line have been completed and we will invite tender very soon He added, man power will be appointed very soon for Mongla-Khulna rail line just after the release of the fund by the Finance Ministry. He also added, a sum of Tk.4 hundred crores is ready for the acquisition of lands.
It is learnt from a source of the Bangladesh Railway that the department signed a contact with the consultant farms on June 14 in the year 2012 to evaluate the fusibility of the construction of Khulna-Mongla rail line, sketch the design in details, invite the tender and supervise the construction works. This agreement was signed between Bangladesh Government and Indian Government. 2 private companies of India were jointly appointed as consultant farms. They are Consulting Engineers Group Ltd. and Nippon Koeyi India Private Ltd. According the survey, the take off point of the proposed rail line will start from Fultala Rly station and it will pass by the western side of Khulna divisional town and cross the river Rupsa from the south of Rupsa Khan Jahan Ali bridge of Roads and Highways department and rich Katalhali and from there it will reach Mongla. The proposed Railway stations are Fultala, Arangghat, Mohammadpur, Katakhali, Chulkathi bazar, Bhaga, Digraj and M ongla.
First 3 stations will be under Khulna district and the rest 5 will be under Bagerhat district. It is also learnt from the source that a by-pass rail line will be constructed up to Rampal coal based power plant in order to supply coals and other goods.
People of Bagerhat are strongly demanding to link Bagerhat district town with the proposed Mongla-Khulna rail line at Katakhali point. It may be mentioned here that Bgerhat district town was linked with Khulna Divisional town (Rupsa) by a railway service in the year 1910. But unfortunately this railway service was suspended in the year 1997 in the plea of loss defying the strong protest of the people of the district (Bagerhat).
It was the popular demand and expectation of the people of the district that the suspended train service would be resumed very soon. But it is the irony of fate that instead of restoring the train service between Bagerhat and Khulna it was finally closed and the railway trucks were dismantled by the railway authorities in the year 2000.
On the other hand, the people of Pirojpujr district are also demanding the extension of the rail line up to Hularhat, the main eastern gate way of Pirojpur district town,via Katakhali and Bagerhat district town.
It may be mentioned here that a survey work was done by the Railway department in order to extend the existing Rupsa (Khuna)-Bagerhat rail line up to Pirojpur district headquarters in the year 1968.
Tender for the appointment of contractors for the construction of the proposed Mongla (Sea Port)-Khulna Rail line and the Railway Bridge over the river Rupsa will be invited on January 25.
A total of 85.86- kilommetre long rail lines will be constructed under the project Out of them 64.75 kilometre rail lines will be the main lines and 21.11 kilometre lines will be the siding loops-yard lines.
The construction cost of the rail line is estimated at Tk.1100 crores while the construction cost of the railway bridge over the river Rupsa is estimated at Tk. 981 crores.
As many as 700 acres of lands will be acquired from Khulna to Mongla for the construction of the rail lines. It is expected that the project will be completed within 31st December, 2019. Some 8 railway stations will be constructed from Mongla to Fultala via Katakahali under Fakirhat Upazila in Bagerhat district. By this time the sketch of the design of the project was already done.
Project Director (PD) Md. Abdul Hye disclosed to the newsmen, all sorts of preparations have already been taken by the Railway Ministry by this time to construct Mongla-Khulna rail line. With this end in view all the necessary documents have already been sent to the Deputy Commissioners of Bagerhat and Khulna districts for the acquisition of lands. He added, the acquisition of lands will be started in the present month.
A some of Tk.4 hundred crores was already released He further disclosed, we have already completed the sketches of project on top priority basis. He also added, the last date for the sale of tender is January 25. On the same day the tenders will be opened. The Project Director said, the land acquisition-works will be completed very quickly and the construction works for the installation of the rail line will be also started as early as possible.
Md. Mansur Ali Shikdar, Secretary-in-charge of the Ministry of Railway affair told the newsmen, all the preparations for the construction of the proposed Mongla-Khulna rail line have been completed and we will invite tender very soon He added, man power will be appointed very soon for Mongla-Khulna rail line just after the release of the fund by the Finance Ministry. He also added, a sum of Tk.4 hundred crores is ready for the acquisition of lands.
It is learnt from a source of the Bangladesh Railway that the department signed a contact with the consultant farms on June 14 in the year 2012 to evaluate the fusibility of the construction of Khulna-Mongla rail line, sketch the design in details, invite the tender and supervise the construction works. This agreement was signed between Bangladesh Government and Indian Government. 2 private companies of India were jointly appointed as consultant farms. They are Consulting Engineers Group Ltd. and Nippon Koeyi India Private Ltd. According the survey, the take off point of the proposed rail line will start from Fultala Rly station and it will pass by the western side of Khulna divisional town and cross the river Rupsa from the south of Rupsa Khan Jahan Ali bridge of Roads and Highways department and rich Katalhali and from there it will reach Mongla. The proposed Railway stations are Fultala, Arangghat, Mohammadpur, Katakhali, Chulkathi bazar, Bhaga, Digraj and M ongla.
First 3 stations will be under Khulna district and the rest 5 will be under Bagerhat district. It is also learnt from the source that a by-pass rail line will be constructed up to Rampal coal based power plant in order to supply coals and other goods.
People of Bagerhat are strongly demanding to link Bagerhat district town with the proposed Mongla-Khulna rail line at Katakhali point. It may be mentioned here that Bgerhat district town was linked with Khulna Divisional town (Rupsa) by a railway service in the year 1910. But unfortunately this railway service was suspended in the year 1997 in the plea of loss defying the strong protest of the people of the district (Bagerhat).
It was the popular demand and expectation of the people of the district that the suspended train service would be resumed very soon. But it is the irony of fate that instead of restoring the train service between Bagerhat and Khulna it was finally closed and the railway trucks were dismantled by the railway authorities in the year 2000.
On the other hand, the people of Pirojpujr district are also demanding the extension of the rail line up to Hularhat, the main eastern gate way of Pirojpur district town,via Katakhali and Bagerhat district town.
It may be mentioned here that a survey work was done by the Railway department in order to extend the existing Rupsa (Khuna)-Bagerhat rail line up to Pirojpur district headquarters in the year 1968.
