e-News® | The NEWS Company…DHAKA, Oct 10, 2015 : Two international and two local companies have been primarily qualified to set up first ever exclusive tourism resort and entertainment village in Cox’s Bazar under public private partnership (PPP) at an approximate cost of Taka 800 crore.

The four companies are Singapore-based Inter-Asia Group Pte Ltd, Thailand Based Siam Group, local Orion Group and Premium Group, according to sources related to Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) and PPP Office. The BPC with supervision of the PPP office under the Prime Minister Office floated a RFQ (Request for Qualification) last month for the project. “Initially, four companies qualified out of six bidders.

The qualification and tender evaluation committee will finalize the decision this week,” a high official of BPC preferring anonymity told BSS on Thursday. After finalizing the qualified companies, he said a RFP (Request for Proposal) will be issued to the qualifiers for submitting final proposal for the project that needs investment of around Taka 800 crore. “With the present we are hoping to start the construction work of the entertainment village by March next year,” he said.

The construction period of the project will be four years and after that the investment company will enjoy ownership of the entertainment village for 41 years. Under the project titled “development of tourism resort and entertainment village” a 5-star tower hotel, a 3-star hotel, beach village, pool village, water village, theme park, amusement park, cineplex, swimming zone and shopping mall will be built. The whole project, expecting to generate 500 employments, will be implemented on a huge area of 130 acres of land of BPC which now runs the existing Shaibal Hotel, the largest government owned hotel in Cox’s Bazar.

“As per the PPP, we will provide our land at free of cost to a private company to invest for implementing the project. The government will share profit with the investor company under a negotiation,” BPC Chairman Dr Aparup Chowdhury said. The BPC Chief said the main goal of the project is to improve tourism infrastructure and facilities at Cox’s Bazar to accommodate more local and foreign tourists. “Entertainment and amusement facilities in Cox’s Bazar are limited but tourists like it to be eventful during their holidays,” he said. Through the project, he said the BPC would like to munch a share from the rising high-end tourist traffic to Cox’s Bazar.

Earlier, on February 28 this year, the Cabinet Economic Affair Committee in principle approved a proposal placed by the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry to implement the project under the PPP.