Korean Export Processing Zone, Anwara, CTG. which will house only Korean companies. Such EPZ's are under the pipeline for Chinese and Japanese companies as well.
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Dhaka MRT Soil Testing Phase almost complete
Fast track body set to okay metro rail basic design
Munima Sultana
The basic design of the capital's metro rail project is expected to get approval of the fast track monitoring committee meeting today (Wednesday), paving the way for its speedy implementation.
Officials said the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transport Development (DMRTD) project received the basic design from its consultant on December 28.
After its review, they said, the design is going to be placed in the meeting of the 'monitoring fast track project committee', headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, for its approval.
Officials said based on the design, the general consultant of the project will work on detailed design of the metro rail in next six months.
The Mass Rapid Transit Line-6 (MRT-6), known as metro rail, has been planned to be introduced in the city's busiest Uttara-Motijheel corridor providing 24 sets of trains.
A study says, 60,000 passengers will be able to cross the 20.5 kilometre corridor in almost half an hour.
Project Director Mofazzel Hossain said progress of the MRT line-6 project is satisfactory.
He said since it has been taken as the fast track project, technical parts of its implementation has been sped up.
After the last year's January 5 election, the government formed the monitoring committee on fast track projects comprising six mega projects - MRT line-6 project, Padma Bridge project, Rooppur nuclear power plant project, deep sea project, LNG terminal construction and Rampal coal- fired power plant project - to implement those on priority basis.
Sources said the task force committee of the first track monitoring committee recommended the Matarbari power plant project, which is also to be placed at Wednesday's meeting for approval.
The committee held three meetings since its inception while the task force held four meetings when different directives were given to the concerned authorities to speed up the process of implementation.
The DMRTD project's major hurdle in getting 22 hectares of land from the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhya (RAJUK) for setting up MRT depot in Uttara has been solved after intervention of the fast track monitoring committee.
Officials said the DMRTD has already received the depot land and handed over Tk 2.43 billion for land acquisition to the RAJUK as per the decision of the committee.
They said, like other six projects, the DMRTD will also share the progress of the MRT design and schedule of the tender for the Tk 220 billion project beginning this month.
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Dhaka's first metro line will be designed by John McAslan + Partners
British architecture firm John McAslan + Partners has won an international competition to design a new metro line for Dhaka, which will stretch 12 miles across the city.
John McAslan + Partners will design sixteen elevated stations for the over-head line, which is part of a $3 billion (£2 billion) project to improve infrastructure in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The Dhaka metro line will form a commuter link between the capital's residential district in the north of the city and the business centre in the south.
Hiro Aso, director of infrastructure at John McAslan + Partners, said the scheme would produce "a significant new infrastructure system for Dhaka."
Plans for the metro line show elevated train tracks supported on a series of piloti.
White perforated canopies arch over the tracks to let trains pass through the middle and provide cover for the station platforms.
The canopies are perforated with a geometric pattern reminiscent of Islamic tile designs that allows sunlight to pass through the tunnel-like structures to illuminate the platforms below. An irregular bowed framework supports the cut-out roof.
White elevator shafts and stairwells connect the station platforms to the ground.
The project, which also includes the design for a train depot, is part of a larger development scheme proposed by the Dhaka Mass Transit Company that aims to address growing traffic congestion and air pollution issues.
"The line will form connections between areas of Dhaka in support of the wider urban strategy of decentralisation of urban activities and population from the centre to satellite communities," said a statement from John McAslan + Partners.
The Dhaka metro line will be completed in three stages with all stations operational by 2022, and is forecast to serve over 500,000 passengers daily by 2025.
The studio will work in collaboration with local architecture firms to integrate the new stations into the urban setting.
John McAslan + Partners has worked on a number of infrastructure projects, including the Anand Vihar transport hub in New Delhi and the redevelopment of Kings Cross station in London.
