Country's river-routes are getting a big boost as three more dredgers costing around Tk 75 crore being purchased in the private sector would be added to the dredging fleet by this year end for restoring navigability of rivers.
'Private sector has introduced brand new 12 new dredgers at Tk 500 crore last year and three more dredgers worth Tk 75 crore to be added to dredging fleet by this year,' Tahmina Rehman, chairperson of Association of River Dredging Companies Bangladesh told the news agency Sunday.
Tahmina, managing director of SS Dredgers and Engineers Ltd, noted with appreciation of the government's step for revamping the ailing water communications to transport saying there was no significant dredging during the period from 2001 to 2008 rather dredging companies incurred a loss of huge amount after investment.
The country has now nine river dredging companies, which are capable of carrying out dredging task maintaining highest standard but local companies cannot compete with international tender for dredging due to cumbersome terms and conditions of Public Procurement Rules, she said. The association president urged the government to sanction more funds for dredging works together with procurement of dredgers.
She also suggested that the government should declare the 'Dredge Soil Policy' forthwith to bring synchronisation in the dredging sector side by side with lowering the bank interest rate.
Talking to the news agency, the shipping
minister, Shahjahan
Khan, said mainly private sector was now playing key role in the field of dredging as the number of dredgers in the private sector were more than public one.
He said a number of dredging projects were yet to get ECNEC approval while dredging work of 36 rivers were waiting at the Planning Commission and the country would witness a 'grand pomp' once the projects were approved.
'We are hopeful about approval of the projects shortly,' he added. The government has a plan to simplify terms and conditions of PPR so local dredging companies can qualify with international tender, said the minister.
Source : New Age
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