Urban Transport

URBAN TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT IMPROVEMENT STUDY

Background

The Urban Transport and Environment Improvement Study is an effort to identify and prioritize problem areas and to develop policies and strategies to improve air quality in Dhaka and other major cities in Bangladesh. The Consultants will benefit from the data generated by earlier studies and focus on specific data gaps. Critical areas not covered by earlier studies will receive the team’s concerted attention.

The principal objective of the Study is to assist the Government to formulate strategy to improve air quality in Dhaka and other major cities. Six components of the study are identified, as follows:

Identify stakeholders and their roles in improving air quality in Dhaka and other major cities.
Develop an action plan to control and phase out dirty fuel, particularly in the transport sector.
Develop an action plan to introduce clean fuel based on natural gas.
Review environmental regulations relating to vehicular emissions and recommend strategies for enhanced implementation.
Develop an action plan to improve O&M standards for registered vehicles, particularly in Dhaka.
Identify the potential role of the Asian Development Bank in implementation of the overall action plan for cleaner air. This would include formulating a policy-oriented urban transport pollution-reduction project.

The project has been jointly funded by the Government of Bangladesh and the Asian Development Bank.

The executing Agency is the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) and the Implementing Agency will be PetroBangla.

The Project was awarded to Intercontinental Consultants and Technocrats Pvt. Ltd. (India) (ICT) in association with Balloffet-Entranco (USA), National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (India), Bangladesh Engineering and Technological Services, Sheltech Consultants Pvt. Ltd., and Bangladesh Consultants Ltd. Notice to proceed was given as of January 8, 2001, with completion expected by August 26, 2001.

Workshop

An early outcome of the project will be a Stakeholder Workshop at which the scope of the project and the roles and responsibilities of Stakeholders will be clarified. This Inaugural Workshop is scheduled for January 30, 2001, at 10 am. It will be held in the third floor conference room of IDB Bhaban, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka.

Mr. Anwar Hossain, MP, Hon’ble Minister, Ministry of Communications has kindly consented to be chief guest and inaugurate the function. Syed Rezaul Hayat, Secretary, Roads and Railways Division, Ministry of Communications, and Mr. Phiphit Supahapiphat, Resident Representative, ADB will be special guests. Mr. Anisul Haque Chowdhury, MP, Hon’ble State Minister of Communications, will address the workshop during the concluding session.

For more information, please contact:

Dr. S. M. Salehuddin, Director (Technical) and Project Manager, Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation, telephone 880-2-955 7952.

-or-

Dr. Armando Balloffet, Team Leader, telephone 880 2 988 0805, a.f.balloffet@usa.net