My Industrial Training Experience at CDA

Department of Civil Engineering, CUET arranges three weeks long industrial training for final year students every year. This year, I was appointed to Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) along with my thirteen other classmates to complete our industrial training.

The Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) is the statutory planning and development authority for the Chittagong Metropolitan Area (CMA). It was established in 1959 by the Bangladesh Government under the CDA Ordinance 1959 to ensure the city's planned and systematic growth. Chittagong's development has had a significant impact on Bangladesh's overall development. The Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) was formed to provide the following services: Chittagong's development and expansion and some areas in the surrounding area.

Among the several ongoing projects of CDA, our group was sent to two mega projects. They are:

1. Construction of an elevated expressway from Lalkhan Bazar in Chittagong city to Shah Amanat Airport.

Construction of an 18.50 km long and 16.5 m wide flyover from Lalkhan Bazar of Chittagong city to Shah Amanat Airport with the aim of establishing a direct connection of Chittagong Port with Chittagong City Industrial Area (Fauzdarhat Industrial Area, Nasirabad Industrial Area and Kalurghat Industrial Area) and South Chittagong.

• Estimated Expenditure: BDT 3,250.6394 crore

• Project Director: Md. Mahfuzur Rahman, Executive Engineer (Project)

• Contractor: Max Infrastructure Ltd.

• Consultant: DDC, DPM, SARM, & HNRBI.

• Executive and Funding Authority: CDA

2. Construction of road from Kalurghat bridge to Chaktai canal along the banks of river Karnafuli.

Construction of city protective embankment road from Kalurghat bridge to Chaktai canal along the banks of Raknafuli river, 8.5 km long, present RL 4.00 m to 9.40 m (less / more) height. The 24-foot high embankment road will feature four lanes with an 80-foot width. At the mouths of 12 canals, 12 high-tide protection regulators and pump-houses will be erected to evacuate rainwater from the city area to canals immediately. If the marine drive is built, cars headed for Chittagong's north and northeastern regions from the southeast will be able to access the district's Kaptai, Rangunia, and Boalkhali Upazilas without having to pass through the city.

• Estimated Expenditure: BDT 2,310.242 crore

• Project Director: Rajib Das, Executive Engineer (Project)

• Contractor: Spectra Engineers Ltd.

• Consultant: DPM.

• Executive and Funding Authority: CDA

The Journey!!!

In the first half of the training period, we visited the project named "Construction of road from Kalurghat bridge to Chaktai canal along the banks of river Karnafuli."

Each day we had been described a drawing of the particular site we visit later. While visiting the site, we checked and observed the reinforcement placement and other related civil works. On the last day, we saw the batch mixing operation and site laboratory facilities, i.e., all the material tests according to the design specification.

The last half of the training period was reserved for visiting the "Construction of an elevated expressway from Lalkhan Bazar in Chittagong city to Shah Amanat Airport" project.

Here we saw the material tests on the first day and were described the whole O&M procedure of the basecamp. In the following days, we were taken to the pre-cast and prestressed girder manufacturing site, in situ pile and pile cap, pier and pier cap, and deck slab construction sites. Before visiting the sites, the executive engineers gave lectures on the topic, and then, in the field, the junior engineers and sub-assistant engineers described each operation. Finally, we observed how the engineers do the daily checks, and at the end of each day, a Q&A session was arranged.

On the last day, we appeared for an exam regarding the projects arranged by CDA to evaluate our learning outcomes.

My Experience

As I am majoring in Water Resource Engineering, and my minor subject is Structural Engineering, training in those projects was very important for my career. Observing the drawing and construction works of hydraulic structures, i.e., regulators, and boat passing, will be helpful to visualize while solving the design problems in my "Hydraulic Structures" course. On the other hand, the detailed observation of the precast and prestressed girders had solved many confusion and doubts about my ongoing "Prestressed Concrete" course.

At last, experiencing the working life of site engineers and actual on-field conditions of construction works in Bangladesh on the eve of my graduation has opened my eyes and motivated me to face the upcoming challenges.