China Railway Design Corporation has withdrawn from the job of conducting a pre-feasibility study on a proposed Jamuna tunnel project, competent sources said.
Selected for the job early this year, the Chinese company was supposed to complete the study by this year, they said.
Officials at the Bridges Divisions were apprehending that it would now be delayed due to the latest development that the Chinese company communicated with them.
Since 2017, the Bridges Division has been making several attempts to conduct a study on the project proposed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in February 2016.
The Chinese company recently informed the Brides Division that they have decided to 'give up' the project for 'some reason', sources said.
Regretting their decision, they said the Chinese government would nominate another company to do the job.
The Bridges Division had earlier requested the economic relations division (ERD) to communicate with the Chinese government to know the latest development in this regard.
The design of the proposed project cannot be finalised unless the feasibility study is completed, an official at the Bridges Division told the FE.
According to the Bridges Division officials, the government has planned to construct the Jamuna tunnel project to connect the impoverished northern region with Dhaka and other eastern parts of the country.
It also initially selected a site between Balashighat and Dewanganj Ghat considering that it would reduce the distance between Dhaka and the northern districts by nearly 80 kilometres.
Officials said the final site selection would be made after conducting the feasibility study.
Experts have preferred constructing the tunnel instead of a bridge as siltation is a big problem in the Jamuna River, officials added.
In terms of transmission of silt, Jamuna is the second biggest river in the world while it is the fifth largest in the world in terms of water flow.
In 2017, the Bridges Division had sent a draft development project proposal to the Planning Commission titled 'Conducting feasibility study beneath the River Jamuna'.
Once the tunnel is constructed, the official said that improved communication would be established between Rangpur division and northern part of Dhaka division, greater Mymensingh and other parts of the country, according to the primary project proposal.
The major operations under the feasibility study project include selecting the location for constructing the proposed tunnel alongside determining its length and alignment, selecting its construction method including various subcomponents of the project.
The other jobs under the study are conducting geotechnical investigation, seismic study and survey and traffic survey, environment and rehabilitation-related study and thus formulating a plan, framing initial design and, based on this making the final estimation, formulating land acquisition plan and making economic and financial analysis, formulating procurement, operations and maintenance plan, identifying risk evaluation and reduction system.
According to reports, once the tunnel is built, improved rail and road communications will be established among 13 districts of the northern region including Rajshahi, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Bogra, Nilphamari, Thakurgaon and greater Mymensingh.
Terming the tunnel 'a multi-modal transportation corridor', the officials said the road and railway communication systems will also be linked with this tunnel.
As the Bangabandhu Bridge on the Jamuna River is the only communication link between the Northern-Western zone and other parts of the country, construction of the tunnel will ease the burden on it.
The Bridges Division has a plan to introduce both road and rail services through the tunnel.
The tunnel is expected to ensure fast road and rail communications from the western part of the country to the eastern part and the Chattogram seaport.
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