The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Chittagong Correspondent

Motel Saikat Complex, an eight-storied project taken by Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, is still unimplemented and none could tell about the ultimate fate of the project.

The project has been shelved more than three years and official concerned kept mum about the progress of the project.

Though the project was scheduled to be implemented within 2006. Sources said that the authorities concerned are reportedly reviewing the project even project may be abandoned.

The BPC had taken the project of Taka 82.55 crore to provide world-class services to the tourists and promote tourism in the port city in 2004. Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia also laid the foundation stone of the project on April 19 the same year. The proposed eight-storied complex had been planned having a huge car parking lot, shops and departmental stores on the first three floors, bank and insurance offices on third floor, tourist information center, a 300-seat hall room and 200-seat restaurant including a swimming pool and a bar on the fourth floor and residential hotel of three star standard for the tourists on fifth, sixth and seventh floors.

The authorities demolished the old complex in the busy Station Road area in 2004 without any fund required for the proposed eight-storied Motel Saikat Complex, a modern shopping mall-cum three star hotel. The authorities at that time also floated a tender to sell possessions to raise fund for the proposed complex. Only 22 forms responded to the tender that offered 260 possessions, said the sources.

Later in July last year, the authorities decided to hand over the project to private sector for implementation on BOT (build, operate and transfer) basis and floated tender in this regard, which was published as advertisements in different newspapers.