L-R: Outer Ring Road on the embankment along the Bay of Bengal. The red line shows the legend of the Chittagong Outer Coastal Ring Road. Photo: Anurup Kanti Das

A 14.7km ring road will be constructed from Patenga sea shore to Sagorika in Chittagong, considered to be the future main gateway to the port city.
The town planners said around 60 lakh city dwellers will be benefited if the project titled 'Chittagong City Outer Ring Road' is implemented.
The development experts said with the implementation of the project, the port city will not only be benefited from the road communication but also expedite its economic activities, including industrialisation.
The Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) will implement the project with the financial assistance of the government and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Tk 856.29 crore has already been approved for the project of which JICA will provide Tk 681.11 crore and the government Tk 175.17 crore.
CDA appointed SMEC Australia as engineering consultant while Dainichi Japan and ACE Bangladesh will work with it as sub-consultant.
Tk 115.71 crore has been allocated for engineering consultant, said CDA Chief Engineer Iqbal Hossain Majumder.
Iqbal said the project is scheduled to be concluded in December 2014. It will modify the present look of Chittagong and play a great role in changing the city into a modern industrial one with best communication facilities, he added.
Chittagong is the main commercial hub as well as the second largest city of the country.
Chittagong port, Shah Amanat International Airport, including largest industrial and commercial areas like Kalurghat industrial area, Agrabad commercial area and export processing zone are situated in the city.
Though from all aspects, it is an important place in the country as well as in South-East Asia but the city is vulnerable to cyclone and natural disaster like tsunami and tidal surge, he said, adding that it all created the context to take the project.
He said the infrastructure and productive sector of the port city suffered by far a large amount of damage by natural disaster like cyclonic surge in 1991.
The Ring Road will help save the important constructions and infrastructures like EPZ, Port, Naval base, defence constructions and airport from the disaster and reduce the gridlock in the port city too, he said.
CDA sources said Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JIBIC) started their pilot study for developing multi-sector infrastructures in the port city on August, 2005.
The study was concluded on March, 2006.
The study emphasised construction of coastal road and strengthening embankment to save the city from the natural disaster and modernise the city.
CDA officials said JBIC appointed a team for special assistance for the project formation (SAPROF) on the basis of the study which conducted a feasibility study in June, 2008 and submitted its final report to CDA in January, 2009. Chittagong Outer Ring Road is an important part of the study and was approved by Department of Environment, they said.
An action plan has also been chalked out for rehabilitation of the affected people due to land acquisition, they said.
CDA Chairman Abdus Salam told The Daily Star that it was a challenge for them to approve the budget for the development of the city.
Terming it a great success, Salam said now they would face another challenge of eviction, rehabilitation and compensation.
The affected people would get proper compensation for their land and homesteads, Salam said, adding that CDA will also consider the present economic condition of the locals to enhance their living standard.
CDA town planner Mohammad Zahir Ahmed said Tk 140 crore has been allocated for land acquisition and Tk 20 crore for constructing new homes and other resettlement facilities like water supply, electricity for rehabilitation of the affected people.