The government is eying to construct 1210.42 km new rail line or reopen closed rail lines under the Sixth Five Year Plan (SFYP) by FY 15 as its vision to expand and improve the railway system to provide safer, better, environment friendly and less expensive transport facilities. The National Economic Council (NEC) on June 22 approved the country's Sixth Five-Year Plan (2011-15) with an outlay of Tk 13.47 trillion giving priority to education, employment generation and industrialization and projecting 8 percent GDP growth by the terminal year of 2015. According to the Plan, there will be double tracking of 506.20 km line and construction of 6 new important bridges along with all necessary infrastructure, rehabilitation/upgrading of 1535.73 km existing rail line along with all necessary infrastructures, remodeling/construction of 7 stations in existing section, improvement of 831 level crossing gates, construction of one ICD at Dhirasram and improvement of other infrastructures to increase carrying capacity. Talking to UNB, a Planning Commission official said that within the next five years, Bangladesh Railway (BR) has planned to undertake about 149 projects including 46 on-going and 103 new. "It is very essential to get the required allocation in time to implement the projects efficiently as lack of adequate fund will result in time over-run as well as cost over-run," he added. Under the Plan, BR will undertake procurement of 234 DE locomotives, 50 DEMU/DHMU, 771 passenger coaches and 1430 wagons to introduce new trains and improve the service quality and passenger amenities and increase carrying capacities of containers, fuel oil, aviation fuel, bulk freight and parcels. Besides, rehabilitation of 143 DE locomotives, 560 passenger coaches and 337 wagons will also be undertaken to enhance availability and performance of rolling stocks and to ensure reliability and punctuality of running trains. Signaling system of 113 stations will be modernized to ensure safety apart from undertaking various PPP projects to create other business opportunity. BR has also taken initiative to construct railway bridges through Bahadurabad-Phulchari ghat over river Jamuna, 2nd Karnaphuli rail-cum-road bridge, 2nd Bhairab and 2nd Titas railway bridge and dedicated railway bridge over river Jamuna parallel to existing Bangabandhu Bridge. BR has also planned to undertake projects to re-orient the railway network towards the capital, connecting the capital with Cox's Bazar, Mongla Port, Tungipara, Barisal, Chittagong Hill Tracts, and other areas, where rail network does not exist. Roads and Railways Division officials said that due to inadequate investment, the railway track is in poor condition in a number of areas, including the vital Dhaka-Chittagong corridors which need immediate rehabilitation and upgrading. Almost 78 percent of locomotives and 28 percent of passenger coaches are beyond their economic life and need immediate replacement. About 70 percent of the signaling system has become old aged and needs modernization. It is mentionable that with emergence of road transport, railway started losing its market share as it came down to 4 percent in 2005 from 30 percent in 1975. The strategy for SFYP also includes development of new inland container depots (ICD) and increasing the carrying capacity as commodities carried by rail are mostly sea port and land port based. Bangladesh Railway has also great potential in the regional traffic market, which depends on the expansion of railway network and the revival of historical railway links. Most of these are part of Trans Asian Railway network and Bangladesh has already signed the intergovernmental agreement.
Source
http://www.thenewnationbd.com/newsdetails.aspx?newsid=11347
Showing posts with label economic of bangladesh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label economic of bangladesh. Show all posts
Saturday, July 9, 2011
RAKUB disburses Tk 1010cr agriloan
Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) has disbursed Taka 1010.42 crore as loan in the country's 16 northwest districts during the last 2010-11 fiscal, reports BSS. RAKUB paid thiloan for boosting rural economy as well as create employment through enhancing agricultural and non-agricultural production everywhere in this region.
Side by side with the disbursement, the bank has also realized Taka 1190.91 crore including Taka 320.04 crore classified and other outstanding loans. RAKUB Managing Director Pradip Kumar Dutta said the bank had set a target of disbursing Taka 1140 crore as crop loan and recovery of Taka 1090 crore including Taka 657.66 crore classified loan through 365 branches in the Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions.
To build a poverty-free Bangladesh, he said the bank has enhanced its lending activities in multipurpose potential fields for boosting agriculture production, intensifying food security and flourishing poultry and dairy sectors to reduce protein deficiency.
Pradip Dutta said Taka 444.59 crore for crops, Taka 18.26 crore for fisheries, Taka 56.64 crore for livestock, Taka 13.49 crore for farm and irrigation machinery, Taka 22.76 crore for small and medium enterprise, Taka 271.69 for trading, Taka 45.57 for agro-based industry and Taka 31.27 crore for poverty alleviation were also disbursed during the same period.
Besides, Taka 4.73 crore has been disbursed at two percent subsidized interest rate for boosting the production of import alternative cash crops like pulse, spice and maize.
The bank has also been disbursing loan for establishing solar power, biogas and waste refinement plants on a priority basis for the greater interest of public health conservation and maintaining ecological balance together with addressing the power and gas deficiency through using the eco-friendly alternative fuel.
For the last couple of years, special credit is being disbursed among the share-croppers and marginal farmers at open places with the main thrust of enhancing credit-flow towards the potential crop production sector.
Emphasis is being given to bringing all the landless, marginal and small share-croppers, who are unable for supportive deposit, under its credit facilities in phases. Dutta said the landless farmers and share-croppers cultivate significant portion of the total farming field.
As the largest development partner in agriculture as well as agro-based industry sector of the northwest region, currently the bank has adopted multipurpose development programs, which are being implemented at the grassroots to make the credit programs easier.
"We are giving highest emphasis on enhancing credit flow towards exploring the potential sectors of the region," Pradip Datta said adding that the level best efforts are on to ensure transparency and accountability in all the banking activities.
Side by side with implementing various credit programmes, he said, the bank has been arranging different kinds of grassroots level motivation programs including farmers training aimed at enhancing consciousness among the rural farmers and the masses regarding procurement of agricultural loan along with repaying those on due time.
Importance has been given to increasing relations between the bankers and the customers especially the rural farmers for boosting farm production, he added.
As the largest development partner in the agricultural sector of the northwest Bangladesh, the amount of bank's credit balance and deposit has been cumulated to Taka 3530.11 crore and Taka 1939.12 crore respectively at present.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Railway to propose faster services with new locomotives
Bangladesh Railway (BR) will soon add few more locomotives in its fleet to cater to the increasing demand for efficient, faster and time-bound services. Officials at the state-run organisation told BSS that they had planned making railway more attractive and reliable mode of transport for carrying both passengers and goods.
They said the 142-year-old organisation has long been suffering from resource constraint, barring it from offering proper services to satisfy customers. Among the major problems were shortages of locomotives and passengers' carriers. The officials, however, said the present government had initiated some projects to improve the railway services so it can offer desire service to the people.
Under the projects, the train services will be strengthened with new locomotives and passengers' carrier and container's wagons, and introducing commuter trains on Dhaka-bound routes from some surrounding townships. BR director general Abu Taher said nine new locomotives would be on track this year when the process of procuring 11 more rail-engines would be finalized. Among the new engines, four will arrive in Dhaka in July and the rest will be here by September, much ahead of the stipulated time of January next year.
The Railway authority on January last year signed an agreement with a South Korean company to procure the locomotives when the firm was given two years time for supplying the engines.
An official said the nine locomotives would cost Taka 284.23 crore, of which South Korean government would provide a soft loan amounting to US $28 million (Taka 199.7 crore) in their currency when the government would source Taka 85.16 crore. BR additional director general Khalilur Rahman said after trial all the nine locomotives would be in services this year in the eastern zone, easing the shortage of locomotives.
He said the services would be way better with the new locomotives because the new engines would help maintain schedule and would eventually faster services. With nine more engines, the total number of locomotives would be 295. At present, BR has a fleet of 286 locomotives engines. Of them, 208 engines are operating in the eastern zone on meter gauge and the rest 78 are serving the western zone on broad gauge tracks.
BR joint director general Shamsuzzaman said they are now finalizing a process for procuring 11 more locomotives under financial assistance by JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency).
Another Railway official said the 22 kilometers of new railways were constructed when 139 kilometers of tracks were rehabilitated last year to improve railway connectivity. Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith in his budget speech also said that a separate Railway Division was set up under the Ministry of Communication as part of reforming the railway sector.
He said the next step would complete the transformation of BR into a corporate organisation and finalise the 20-year Master Plan for railway very soon. BR, a principle transportation agency of the country, covers a length of 2,855 route kilometers employing a total of 34,168 regular employees. -BSS
They said the 142-year-old organisation has long been suffering from resource constraint, barring it from offering proper services to satisfy customers. Among the major problems were shortages of locomotives and passengers' carriers. The officials, however, said the present government had initiated some projects to improve the railway services so it can offer desire service to the people.
Under the projects, the train services will be strengthened with new locomotives and passengers' carrier and container's wagons, and introducing commuter trains on Dhaka-bound routes from some surrounding townships. BR director general Abu Taher said nine new locomotives would be on track this year when the process of procuring 11 more rail-engines would be finalized. Among the new engines, four will arrive in Dhaka in July and the rest will be here by September, much ahead of the stipulated time of January next year.
The Railway authority on January last year signed an agreement with a South Korean company to procure the locomotives when the firm was given two years time for supplying the engines.
An official said the nine locomotives would cost Taka 284.23 crore, of which South Korean government would provide a soft loan amounting to US $28 million (Taka 199.7 crore) in their currency when the government would source Taka 85.16 crore. BR additional director general Khalilur Rahman said after trial all the nine locomotives would be in services this year in the eastern zone, easing the shortage of locomotives.
He said the services would be way better with the new locomotives because the new engines would help maintain schedule and would eventually faster services. With nine more engines, the total number of locomotives would be 295. At present, BR has a fleet of 286 locomotives engines. Of them, 208 engines are operating in the eastern zone on meter gauge and the rest 78 are serving the western zone on broad gauge tracks.
BR joint director general Shamsuzzaman said they are now finalizing a process for procuring 11 more locomotives under financial assistance by JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency).
Another Railway official said the 22 kilometers of new railways were constructed when 139 kilometers of tracks were rehabilitated last year to improve railway connectivity. Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith in his budget speech also said that a separate Railway Division was set up under the Ministry of Communication as part of reforming the railway sector.
He said the next step would complete the transformation of BR into a corporate organisation and finalise the 20-year Master Plan for railway very soon. BR, a principle transportation agency of the country, covers a length of 2,855 route kilometers employing a total of 34,168 regular employees. -BSS
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