Karnaphuli Tunnel

October 28, 2023

Complete Set of 5 nos of commemorative postage stamps on the Inauguration of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel under the river Karnaphuli by Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina :

Issued by Bangladesh

Issued on Oct 28, 2023

Issued for : To mark the event Bangladesh Post has issued a Commemorative Stamp of Tk. 10 (ten), a Souvenir Sheet containing 4 Commemorative Stamp of tk. 50 (fifty), a First Day Cover of tk. 10 (ten), a Data Card of Tk. 5 (five) and a Special Canceller.

Designer (Stamp, FDC & Canceller) : Mr. Sumanto Kumar

Designer (Souvenir Sheet) : Mr. Sanjiv Kanti Das

Type : Souvenir Sheet, Mint Condition

No. of Stamp : 01 (One) Piece

Color : Multicolour

Denomination of Stamp : Tk. 10/- (Ten)

Denomination of Souvenir Sheet : Tk. 50/- (Fifty)

Size of Stamp : 32 mm x 48 mm

Size of Souvenir Sheet : 145 mm x 100 mm

Perforation of Stamps : 12.5

Qnt of Stamps : 1,00,000 (One Lac) pcs

Qnt of Souvenir Sheet : 40,000 (Forty Thousands) pcs

Process of Printing : Offset

Printer : The Security Printing Corporation (Bangladesh) Ltd., Gazipur-1703

About :

Construction of “Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel” in Chattogram under the river Karnaphuli is an initiative of the present government led by Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to fulfil the dream “Golden Bengal” of the greatest Bengali of all time, the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, which is the first under river road Tunnel in Bangladesh as well as in the South Asia. In the year 2010 Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared in a public meeting in Chattogram to construct a tunnel under the river Karnaphuli. Then the Project was initiated in 2011 by a feasibility study. Later on, during the visit of Hon’ble Prime Minister in China on 09 June, 2014 a Government to Government based Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with Chinese Government for constructing the tunnel. Accordingly, China Government nominated “China Communications Construction Company Ltd. (CCCC Ltd)” for Constructing the tunnel. Thereafter, on 30 June, 2015 the Loan Agreement was signed between Bangladesh Bridge Authority and China Communications Construction Company Ltd. (CCCC Ltd.). Afterward, on 14 October, 2016 the Loan Agreement was signed between Exim Bank of China & Economic Relation Division and in the Same day His Excellency Hon’ble President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping and Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the foundation stone of tunnel construction.
Objectives of the Project: –
- In order to make connectivity of the coveted “One City and Two Town” model, development of road communication with the south-east part of the country, connectivity with the Asian Highway Network, connection with Chattogram Port & Airport, reduction of existing traffic congestion bypassing Chattogram city, development of existing & developing industrial zone as well as for flourishing tourism industry at the Anowara end and for smooth functioning of port, initiatives were taken to construct a tunnel under the river Karnaphuli.
Rationale of the Project: –
- To enable the entry and berthing of large vessels with higher requirement of draft and length, construction of a Deep-Sea Port in Matarbari, Chattogram is under planning. It is expected that the cargo traffic through Chattogram will increase significantly after opening the operation of the Deep-Sea Port. Moreover, to avoid the sedimentation problem under the river Karnaphuli it is essential to construct a tunnel instead of a bridge. Thus, Construction of Tunnel appears to be a prerequisite in fulfilling the above important objectives.
Tunnel Alignment: –
- West Side: 2 Km downstream of the River Karnaphuli from the Airport & near Navy College.
- East Side: At the Anowara end near KAFCO Fertilizer Factory.
- Tunnel Type: Dual Two-Lane Tube.
Construction Method: –
- The tunneling works of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel had been done by “Shield Driven Method”. In this method Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) had been used for excavation of Soil and Slurry Transportation System was used to remove the soil from the tunnel to Slurry Treatment Plant.
Brief Description of Tunnel Tube: –
- The total length of the tunnel is 3315 meters with Open-Cut, Cut & Cover, Working shaft on both sides and two Tubes of 2450 meter length. The maximum depth of the tunnel from mean sea level is 42.60 meter. The inner and outer diameters of the tunnel are 10.80 and 11.80 meter respectively. The inside vertical clearance is 4.90 meter and maximum slope is 4 percent.
- The main round tube is divided into upper and lower parts. In the upper part vehicle will run over the concrete slab and on the surface there are systems for lighting, air circulation and security signals. The lower parts have an emergency exit with drainage system. In addition, there are three cross passage between the two tubes after every 700 meter for emergency rescue purpose. The inner height of every cross passage is 2.7 meter. The maximum speed limit of vehicle inside the tunnel is 80 km per hour.
Due to strong political leadership and deft economic management of Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina helped Bangladesh to meet all criteria for graduation out of Least Developed Country (LDC) status. Bangladesh achieved the status of Middle-Income Country crossing the lower Middle-Income threshold in 2015 and achieved a decade of 7 percent average GDP growth. After the opening of “Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel” the Financial & Economic IRR will be respectively 6.19% & 12.49% and the Financial & Economic “Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR)” will be respectively 1.05 & 1.50. Moreover, it will accelerate the GDP growth rate of near about 0.166%. Due to the construction of “Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel” the dream of “Golden Bengal” of Bangabandhu will move one step ahead and the macro economy of Bangladesh will be accelerated.
Narrator: Bridges Division, Ministry of Road Transport & Bridges.