Dhaka HSIA Airport Adding Third Terminal

[bongbang]

THIRD TERMINAL AT DHAKA AIRPORT
China or Jica - ministry undecided

The Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry has sought the Finance Division’s advice on whether to build a third terminal at the Dhaka airport with Chinese or Jica financing.

According to sources, the Civil Aviation Ministry is in fact now in a dilemma because both the Chinese government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) are among the biggest development partners of Bangladesh and both have shown interest in financing the project.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Memon has recently wrote to Finance Minister AMA Muhith, seeking the latter’s opinion in this regard immediately.

According to the letter that the Dhaka Tribune has seen, the ministry was almost ready to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chinese government under the G2G scheme for the project.

This preparation was made after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told authorities several months ago to implement the project with Chinese assistance.

However, on his return from a visit to China last month, Finance Minister Muhith said Bangladesh should be careful while implementing projects with Chinese expertise and financing.

Recently, after Jica showed interest in financing the project, the Civil Aviation Ministry fell could not decide which party to choose as Bangladesh has good terms with both.

Menon’s letter also says that the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka is now a major international communication route and a total of seven million passengers travel through it every year.

Experts predict that the number will rise to eight million by the end of 2018 and so the third terminal has become absolutely mandatory.

Ministry sources said that three consultancy firms – one each from South Korea, Singapore and Bangladesh – have already conducted feasibility study, laid out a master plan and basic design of the third terminal at a cost of Tk39 crore. Estimated cost of the project, slated for a start sometime between 2016 and 2018, will be Tk13,465 crore.

The letter reads that the duration of the project will be four years.

Earlier, in June 2014, after the Civil Aviation Ministry got the nod for building the terminal, the Economic Relations Division (ERD) approached Jica for a financing proposal but they did not respond at that time.

Besides China, the government of Malaysia had also shown interest in building the terminal under the G2G (government to government) scheme.

- See more at: China or Jica - ministry undecided | Dhaka Tribune

 

[Bilal9]

Well - the govt. should let the prospective bidders prepare proposals, I mean detailed proposals and then slowly eliminate bidders by progressively shortlisting them. All countries mentioned besides China/Japan, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea and AAI in India have very successful track records in building this type of project.

IMHO if the Japanese win the bid - it is unlikely that they'd build it, they'll turn around and probably subcontract it to maybe AAI in India. The Koreans will not get the subcontract from the Japanese (Jaat Shatru).

The Malaysian's or Singaporeans however may partner with the South Koreans...

But all this being said, I don't get the hoopla in all of this? For Allah's sake, even if we don't really have experience designing airport terminals, we can sure bolt a few things together or pour cement....all we need is a good designer/structural engg. firm's help. This is the most shameful thing - forty years after independence, we can't design a friggin' airport terminal, while one of our very own designed the likes of the Hajj terminal in Saudi as well as Sears and John Hancock towers. There are scores of overseas structural engg. firms owned by Bangladeshis who would love to get part or all of the contract.

I know of at least one local Bangladeshi structural engg. firm who partly completed the structural design for Incheon Airport in Korea.

This Abul Maal Abdul Muhit fellow is probably crying sour grapes about the Chinese because they refused to pay him the percentage he demanded...

 

[damiendehorn]

Well - the govt. should let the prospective bidders prepare proposals, I mean detailed proposals and then slowly eliminate bidders by progressively shortlisting them. All countries mentioned besides China/Japan, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea and AAI in India have very successful track records in building this type of project.

IMHO if the Japanese win the bid - it is unlikely that they'd build it, they'll turn around and probably subcontract it to maybe AAI in India. The Koreans will not get the subcontract from the Japanese (Jaat Shatru).

The Malaysian's or Singaporeans however may partner with the South Koreans...

But all this being said, I don't get the hoopla in all of this? For Allah's sake, even if we don't really have experience designing airport terminals, we can sure bolt a few things together or pour cement....all we need is a good designer/structural engg. firm's help. This is the most shameful thing - forty years after independence, we can't design a friggin' airport terminal, while one of our very own designed the likes of the Hajj terminal in Saudi as well as Sears and John Hancock towers. There are scores of overseas structural engg. firms owned by Bangladeshis who would love to get part or all of the contract.

I know of at least one local Bangladeshi structural engg. firm who partly completed the structural design for Incheon Airport in Korea.

This Abul Maal Abdul Muhit fellow is probably crying sour grapes about the Chinese because they refused to pay him the percentage he demanded...

Or it could be he is very close to india? He is known to prefer Japan and india.....

 

[Bilal9]

Or it could be he is very close to india? He is known to prefer Japan and india.....

You could be right on both counts - and these preferences are supported by cold hard cash of course....

In any case, my original opinion was that we could have a Bangladeshi consortium build the thing, why do we need to go begging to foreign countries for such a simple project, unless these scum need a percentage. Even then they can still get their cuts...

 

[damiendehorn]

You could be right on both counts - and these preferences are supported by cold hard cash of course....

In any case, my original opinion was that we could have a Bangladeshi consortium build the thing, why do we need to go begging to foreign countries for such a simple project, unless these scum need a percentage. Even then they can still get their cuts...

Totally right, there are enough technical resources in Bangladesh to build the bulk of the infrastructure ourselves. If we can build the Padma bridge, the road networks etc its not that much more to build the terminal....politician want to bring in consultants to get their cut as usual...as a consultant PM, I know first hand, as our company does a lot work in BD, which could easily be done by locals for a fraction of the cost, but that would mean the politicians and other officials won't get so much. It's sad but thats the way it works.