Dhaka airport being further modernised
A virtual meeting of the cabinet committee on purchases approved the procurement proposal
As part of its initiative to further modernise the country's premier airport, the government, on Wednesday, approved a proposal allowing the use of bored piles instead of steel piles for the foundation of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport's third terminal building.
"The airport will be of international standard once its construction is complete," said Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque, who presided over the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Purchases on behalf of the finance minister, who is currently abroad.
Speaking at a virtual press briefing on the outcome of the meeting, he said one of the two proposals of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism was to approve the procurement proposal for the Cox's Bazar Airport Runway Expansion Project. "This is a very big proposal. It is one of the priority projects," he said.
To this end, the committee recommended a project of over Tk1,868.52 crore. The contract for this project has been awarded to CRC Company of China.
The second proposal approved at the meeting was to change the rules of use of bored piles instead of steel piles of the foundation of the third terminal building under construction as part of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Expansion project.
The agriculture minister said if this is implemented, Shahjalal International Airport will be upgraded to a truly international airport.
The initial feasibility report and draft master plan for the construction and expansion of the third terminal was sent to the Prime Minister's Office in 2015.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved the Shahjalal Airport Expansion Project on October 24 of 2017. The cost of the project was estimated at Tk13,610.46 crore.
The construction work will be funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. In addition, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism will provide support.
The construction is due to take four years to complete. The building will have three floors with an area of 230,000 square metres.