The Daily Morning Voice Online Desk: Construction cost of Karnaphuli Tunnel has increased again due to price hike of US dollar. This time the cost of the project has been raised by Tk 315 crore. Besides, the duration of the project has been increased by one year more. Moreover, some Tk 250 crore has increased for the payment of contractors’ bills along with import of materials in different sectors. As a result, the project cost has been estimated at Tk 10,689 crore for now.

When the Karnaphuli Tunnel project was approved at a meeting of ECNEC in 2015, the project cost was estimated at Tk 8,446 crore. Completion of construction was fixed at November 2020. As the work could not be started in time, its estimated cost was raised to Tk 10,374 crore at a meeting in November 2018 and the duration of construction was raised to December 2022. Now, the construction cost has been raised once again. China’s Exim Bank is providing fund in the project.

It was approved at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday (January 17, 2023). ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting held at the NEC Conference Room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Addressing a press briefing following the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said a total of 11 projects including Karnaphuli Tunnel were given approval at the ECNEC meeting. These also included construction of an embankment on the river Srimai in Chattogram, undertaking a project for protecting Sheikh Hasina Cantonment in Barisal from river erosion, Matarbari Coal-fired Power Plant Project (Roads and Highways portion), construction of an elevated expressway from Kishoreganj’s Mithamoin Sadar upazila to Marichkhali in Karimganj upazila etc.