The government is planning to construct an 'outer' circular road surrounding the city under Roads and Highways Department (RHD) in coordination with the Public-Private Partnership Authority (PPPA).
An inter-ministerial meeting held recently also decided to conduct a pre-feasibility study under the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) prior to exploring private investors.
Officials said since the coordination agency is a policy-level body, the meeting decided to conduct the pre feasibility study to assess the estimated costs and viability gap funding (VGF) to advance negotiations with the investors.
RHD will conduct the field-level survey and detailed design after completion of the pre-feasibility study by the coordination agency, they added
According to officials, a PPP proposal through government-to-government arrangement of Japan and Bangladesh is there to construct 129 kilometre outer circular road through Hemayetpur-Kalakandi-Modonpur-Danga-Baipail-Gazipur.
Under this circular road, six bus terminals with business transfer facility to the city have also been proposed.
The revised strategic transport plan (RSTP), approved in August 2016, three circular roads-inner, middle and outer-have been proposed surrounding the Dhaka city with options of ring road, primary and secondary roads, inter-city bus terminals and business transfer facilities.
The PPP proposal at the government level to invest in outer circular road was presented during the Bangladesh-Japan platform meeting held in May in Japan.
Officials said the meeting was held to work on the overall management of the outer circular road as the decision to implement it under PPP has been finalised.
They said it will help the government implement 30 per cent of road infrastructure projects under PPP.
"The government wants to prepare the project by itself under PPP," said an official.
He said it will help the government find financiers due to the lack of fund from internal resources.
smunima@yahoo.com