Navy to build Payra Port road

Bangladesh Navy has been awarded the job to construct a four-lane road connecting Payra Port to the main highway in Patuakhali.

The cabinet committee on purchase took the decision at a meeting yesterday.

The 5.6-kilometre road will be built at a cost of Tk 254 crore under a direct government purchase arrangement.

The Rajpara-Payra Port connecting road is part of a Tk 1,128-crore project that the government has undertaken to put the necessary infrastructure in place to smoothly run the country's third seaport.

As the port's organisational structure has not been approved yet, it would not be possible for the port to build the road using its own workforce.

Hence, it was proposed by the shipping ministry that the Navy build the road, according to officials.

A seven-member tender evaluation committee of the Payra Port Authority examined the price proposal of the Navy and unanimously recommended the work in its favour.

Existing rules and regulations were followed in processing the proposal, according to the summary of the shipping ministry's proposal submitted to the purchase committee.

The Navy has experience in building roads in Jessore, Dhaka and Narayanganj. 

Payra Port, which began its experimental operations in August, would be fully ready by 2018.