Sangsad Bhaban, Sept. 9 -- The Karnaphuli Tunnel, the first road tunnel beneath a river in Bangladesh and in fact the entire South Asian region, was built at a total cost of Tk 10,255.29 crore, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam told Parliament on Wednesday.

He was responding to a question from BNP MP Sarwar Jamal Nizam of Chattogram-13 on the expenditure incurred on the tunnel and the benefits and losses arising from its construction.

The minister said the tunnel was built with the expectation that it would directly connect Chattogram city with the vast areas on the southern bank of the Karnaphuli River, opening up new opportunities for regional economic activity, industrialisation, tourism and trade.

He said the p...