Chattogram: At least 85 per cent of construction work on the 9.5 km-long Kalurghat-Chaktai 4-lane Marine Drive has been completed, Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) sources said. Project Director Engr. Rajib Das revealed that the embankment-cum-marine drive along the west bank of the Karnaphuli River, with a budget of Taka 2,275 crore, is seeing swift progress.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, an 8 km stretch of the marine drive has been finalized, with 1.5 km of land recently secured from the Kalurghat Industrial area to the Railway Bridge. The CDA has compensated landowners to facilitate uninterrupted construction activities. Furthermore, a four-kilometre walkway from Kalpolok at Chaktai to Bolirhat is projected to be operational by next December.
Plans are also underway for a 5 km tourist zone along the riverbank in Bakalia, which will feature a walkway from Shah Amanat Bridge to Bolirhat and a restaurant with entertainment amenities for children. The embankment-road will be four lanes wide, elevated 24.5 feet above sea level, and 80 feet in width, adhering to JBIC guidelines and the 1995 Chattogram Metropolitan Master Plan.
Efforts to ensure efficient water drainage include the installation of twelve high-tide protection regulators and pump houses at canal mouths, with ten of these installations already completed. The construction, which commenced in June 2019 with the opening of a sluice gate at the Chaktai Canal estuary, has been given a one-year extension by the government, moving the completion date to June 2026.
The project received approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on April 25, 2017.