To complete the construction work of the third terminal ofHazratShahjalal International Airport within the stipulated time, the concerned workers, engineers and officials are working round the clock ignoring the threat of coronavirus.
It was learntfrom project official sources that piling work has already begun following the completion of earth digging work of the third terminal.
“Our aim is to complete the work within the given time. We are very cautiously progressing since the outbreak of coronavirus so that it cannot interrupt construction work”, CAAB chairman Air Vice Marshall Mohammed Mofidur Rahman told the media.
According to project official sources, until now a total of 60 construction workers was infected withcoronavirus. But, maintaining the hygiene rules and social distance, the people concerned are continuing scheduled work cautiously.
Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) since the beginning of Covid-19 imposed restriction on movement in the project area to prevent the transmission of coronavirus. Nevertheless, a good number of workers were infected and they are now under treatment.
On the other hand, CAAB has arranged separate accommodation facility to ensure health safety of the workers who are not infected.
It is mentionable that the project will cost Tk 21300 crore. Of the total construction cost, the government will provide Tk 5000 crore while the rest are to be funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Mitsubishi and Fujita of Japan and Samsung of Korea were awarded contracts to construct the 3rd terminal under a consortium.
Once completed, the new international passenger terminal building is set to have a floor area of roughly 22.5 lakh square feet whereas the exiting two terminals of HSIA have space of around 10 lakh square feet together.
The HSIA’s expansion is set to increase the airport’s annual passenger handling capacity from the current eight million to approximately 20 million and the cargo capacity from 200,000 tonnes to 500,000 tonnes.
