The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) will provide $6 million to Bangladesh to implement the "Transport Master Plan and Preliminary Feasibility Study for Urban Metro Rail Transit Construction of Chattogram Metropolitan Area".
In this regard, the government of Bangladesh and the Republic of Korea today signed the Record of Discussion (RoD) and the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the above mentioned project.
Secretary to the Road Transport and Highways Division ABM Amin Ullah Nuri and Additional Secretary to the ERD Shahriar Kader Siddiky signed the RoD and ToR respectively on behalf of the government of Bangladesh and KOICA Country Director Young-Ah Doh signed the RoD and ToR on behalf of Korea.
ERD Secretary Sharifa Khan and Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh LEE Jang-Keun witnessed the signing ceremony, said an ERD press release.
The main objectives of the project is to prepare a transport master plan for Chattogram Metropolitan area for providing high-quality public transport services and pedestrian facilities, prepare preliminary feasibility study for construction of metro rail in Chattogram, enhance institutional capacity of different agencies of Chattogram transport service system to reduce traffic congestion and improve eco-friendly urban metro systems.
After completion of the master plan, different projects will be taken up for improvement of transport system in Chhattogram metropolitan area with Korean assistance.
The release said that Korea and Bangladesh has a longstanding diplomatic relations while KOICA has been providing grant for socio-economic development, education, expansion of IT and many more to Bangladesh since 1993.