Padma rail link loan deal with China soon

A process of signing a loan agreement with China is underway for the Padma bridge rail link project, Railways Minister Mazibul Hoque told the parliament today.

In reply to lawmakers’ queries during today’s session, he said the work on the physical infrastructure of the project will begin once the deal is signed.

Mazibul also said the government took the project to construct the rail tracks from Dhaka to Jessore via Padma bridge-Bhanga of Faridpur.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with China Railway Group Ltd on January 28, 2015 to implement the G-to-G project to be financed by the Chinese government, the minister informed parliament.

He also added that commercial contract negotiation was completed on December 17, 2015.

The land acquisition process in two districts has already completed while the process is going on in four other districts, he also said.

In reply to another query, the railways minister told parliament that a total of 3,752 acres of land owned by Bangladesh Railway is under illegal grabbing.

“Bangladesh Railway has recovered 169 acres of illegally grabbed land in between July 2016 to May 2017,” he said in a scripted answer.

Evicting illegal structures on the grabbed land is a continuous process and railway ministry is conducting regular drive to recover the lands, he added.

While replaying to another query, he said 10,843 acres of land owned by the railway remain unused at present.

He added that Railways Ministry has planned to construct modern hospitals, medical colleges, five-star hotel-cum-commercial buildings, multistoried shopping mall-cum-guest houses on its unused lands.

“Steps are being taken to construct such structures under Public Private Partnership,” he added.

Source: thedailystar