The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will spend about Tk 9.0 billion for traffic congestion management, drainage management to remove water logging and the natural disaster management faced by the Chittagong city dwellers.
The JICA officials at a meeting with the mayor of Chittagong City Corporation announced it today.
The JICA has already conducted its study on these schemes and decided in principle to go ahead for implementation of the same, said City Mayor M Manjur Alam.
The JICA team leader said the City Mayor has undertaken some very important schemes which are time-befitting carrying highly public-interest. The JICA has conducted study on the schemes and categorized them into three sections considering the port city’s traffic jam, water logging and disaster management.
The cost of the projects will be around Tk 9.0 billion and the JICA is eager to implement those projects, he said.
Under the traffic management scheme JICA will construct overpasses at Oxygen Square, New Market intersection, Baropool intersection, AK Khan gate to Sagorika intersection on the DT Road and two railway crossings on the Zakir Hussain Road alongside repair and development of 45 kilometres of Mariners Road, Zakir Hussain Road, PC Road (Port Connecting Road) and Agrabad Connecting Road.
The Drainage Management Scheme includes canal digging and expansion of 10.2 kilometres of Mohesh Khal and Chaktai Diversion Canal and its tributaries, recovery of the canals which have gone lost, cleansing and wall construction on both sides of the canals by evicting illegal occupants.
The project involves construction of roads, setting up of sewerage and flap gate facilities, the mayor said in a press release.
Under the disaster management scheme JICA will demolish 24 age-old schools and colleges in the city’s coastal belt and construct 24 new 6-sloried school-cum-cyclone shelters, 10-storied City Corporation Public Library and multi-purpose building and disaster management central office on the CCC’s existing library on the Lal Dighi bank.
Within this scheme a master plan has been chalked out that the area of City Corporation will also be extended to 120 square miles from the existing 60 square miles.
“The citizens will find a revolutionary change once the schemes are implemented with the financial assistance and cooperation of the Government of Japan, its people and JICA,” the Mayor said.
The JICA representatives headed by its team leader Takeo Matsuzawa held a crucial meeting with the city mayor on Wednesday morning.
JICA’s local government expert Tokuoka Taisuke, senior consultant Yuhi Suma, CCC ward councilor Abdus Sattar Selim, Md Azam, AF Kabir Ahmed Manik, Shamsuzzaman Helali, Rehena Begum Ranu, Anjuman Ara Begum, CEO Ali Ahmed and senior officials and engineers were present at the meeting.
Happy to see Jica is investing in traffic control management. It is very important to do this. I sincerely hope some significant improvement will take place.