The government will conduct a feasibility study of metro-rail in the port city of Chattogram with the help of Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), said Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader.

“Our ministry has taken steps to fulfil the expectation of the residents of Chattogram as per the directives of the Prime Minister and the work of feasibility study will begin,” he said.

The minister came up with the information while talking to reporters after a meeting with a delegation of KOICA and South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun.

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“The government has taken a project of Tk 77 crore and the Korean government will provide Tk 51 crore as grant. Already a delegation of experts arrived here to survey the project and they’ll exchange their views with the authorities concerned in Chattogram from February 8 to February 12,” he said.

Under the project, a coordinated transport plan will be prepared and the work on the feasibility study of a mass transit line and metro rail will start, said Obaidul.

“The work on feasibility study will be completed next year,” he said.

The issues relating to metro-rail projects for other large cities was discussed at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) held virtually with Ecnec Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair on January 4.

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“The Prime Minister said not only in Dhaka, the metro-rail project should also be there in Chattogram. Prepare a design for the metro-rail project for Chattogram Airport to Chattogram Railway Station. Later, we should go for designs for metro rail projects in large cities where there’re big airports,” said Planning Minister MA Mannan while briefing reporters after the meeting.

The minister hoped that metro rail projects would be taken for other large cities in the future. “We, on part of the Planning Commission, will also encourage city corporations to design such projects,” he said.