Chittagong

Chittagong (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম, Chaṭṭagrām) is the major sea-port and second largest city of Bangladesh. It is located in the south-eastern portion of the country near Myanmar (Burma). The city was built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, which ends nearby, in the Bay of Bengal. Chittagong has a population of over 3.5 million, and is continuing to grow. One of the cleanest cities of Bangladesh, it has had an ancient reputation of great mystique and beauty.

Transport

Chittagong is connected with the rest of Bangladesh by road, rail, air and water.

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In Bengal, Sher Shah apparently took the first significant step in long distance road-building in the first half of the sixteenth century. The Grand Trunk Road of Sher Shah ran down the Ganges Valley connecting Dhaka and Chittagong. This was the first major road link between these two cities of which there is clear record. Efforts at connecting Chittagong by road with central Bengal however, predate Sher Shah by about two centuries. There is evidence that Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah, the independent ruler of Sonargaon, after his conquest of Chittagong, built a military road connecting Chittagong with Chandpur. However, when the British acquired Chittagong district in 1760, they inherited a very rudimentary road system - basically the old Trunk Road from Chittagong to Dhaka.

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In 1898-99 of the total length of 577 miles (930 km) of road in the Chittagong district, just one mile (1.6 km) was metalled, that being the Maheskhali Strand road along the port's waterfront. Since 1962, construction of roads received due attention of the government and an increase in the length of metal roads is evident. The principal roads run in the north-easterly and south-easterly directions from Chittagong.

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Till the twenties of the twentieth century, only hackney carriages and bullock carts could be seen on the roads of Chittagong. Around this time motor vehicles, brought in by some zamindars and Europeans, could be seen in the town. Around 1924-25 taxicabs were first introduced between Chittagong and some nearby areas e.g. Hat Hazari, 12 miles (19 km) from Chittagong and Nazirhat, 23 miles (37 km) away. Taxis also used the Ramgarh Road, which ran northeast from the town to the border of the district. A few years later half-ton buses replaced the taxis. Rickshaws were first introduced in the city in 1947. The same year, a bus service in the town was introduced. Gradually this service was extended to include the greater city area. In 1962 auto-rickshaws came in to meet the demands of the growing town.

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At present, with the growth and development of a network of roads connecting Chittagong with other districts of Bangladesh much of the trade and traffic which used the waterways have been diverted to the roads and railways. Everyday hundreds of truck loaded with all kinds of commodities can now be seen plying the on roads.

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The necessity of connecting the Port of Chittagong to the tea gardens of Assam led to the construction of railways in Chittagong. The Assam Bengal Railway Company was formed in London in 1891 with a capital of £150,000. The railway line was built on the metre gauge of 3' 33/8". The first railway line connecting the Port to Assam was opened in 1895. Thereafter other lines were laid connecting the city and the district to the rest of Bangladesh. Chittagong Railway Station is situated near the Bipani Bitan, known also as the New Market, and Reazuddin Bazar. Besides the inter-district trains there are local trains connecting the city with Dohazari, Nazirhat and Chittagong University.

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The Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport is situated on the bank of the river Karnafuli and is about eleven kilometres from the city centre. Most of the other districts of Bangladesh are connected to Chittagong by air. There is a good road connection between the city centre and the airport and passengers can reach it by car, bus and auto-rickshaw.

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Chittagong City is connected with the rest of Bangladesh by a network of coastal water routes. Coastal vessels carry most of the bulk cargo from Chittagong to other important trading centres in the country. Among the important items carried are fuel oil, cement, food grains and salt. Passenger service along the coastal route was never very popular and safe. At present there is practically no passenger service on this route. In Chittagong there are two launch and steamer terminals. They are known as Majhirghat and Sadarghat. Majhirghat is the older of the two. Though once traders and merchants used to come to this place with their boats and sampans loaded with cargoes, it is no longer a popular centre of trade. Sadarghat, which is situated near Majhirghat, is now the popular launch and steamer terminal of the city. Everyday launches and steamers leave and reach this terminal regularly with passengers and cargoes, to and from nearby islands like Sandwip, Kutubdia, and Maheshkhali.

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