Bangladesh Bridges Authority (BBA) has sought Tk 53.70 billion funds in the upcoming budget for the Padma bridge project, much lower than what the government has allocated for the current fiscal, officials said Saturday.
This indicates further delay in the project's completion.
Insiders said although a part of Tk 119.29 billion allocated in the fiscal 2019 is expected to remain unutilised, the Bridge Authority has sought less than half the money for FY2020.
According to the BBA, it has been able to complete 60.5 per cent of the total work of the Padma Bridge project until February this year.
Out of Tk 301.93 billion cost, the Authority spent Tk 182.64 billion until February this fiscal.
The project for building the Bangladesh's longest bridge is scheduled to be completed by December this year.
Meanwhile, the state-owned agency has also sacrificed fund by Tk 17.39 billion in the revised Annual Development Programme (RADP) from Tk 43.95 billion allocation in the original ADP of the current fiscal.
A senior government official said since the BBA is likely to miss the December deadline, it has sought lower fund from the upcoming development budget.
A Planning Commission (PC) official said if the BBA wants to complete the bridge within the deadline, it has to spend the remaining 39.5 per cent of the total cost within December.
"We have been facing troubles over the last few months on some pilling sites at the Padma River. We will not require the entire money from the remaining fund of the total project cost in the next fiscal as we will miss the work targeted," said a senior BBA official preferring not to be named.
The BBA official claimed that they have already completed more than 70 per cent of the physical works of the 6.15-kilometre bridge.
On April 23, the BBA installed the 10th span of the bridge on the 33rd and 34th pillars of the bridge at the Janjira point.
With this installation, 1,350 metres of the bridge is now visible from the Janjira point, and 300 metres from the Mawa point, including the temporary span. A total of 1,650 metre of the bridge is now visible.
A senior Commission official said: "We have recently received the lower fund requirement from the Bridge Division for the ongoing Padma Bridge project for the upcoming ADP. We are scrutinising the requirements before finalisation of the ADP."
"The government is trying to build the Padma Bridge. In FY2016, the Division performed better as it sought higher funds in the revised ADP. But the lower fund requirement in the subsequent two fiscal is likely to delay the construction further," said the PC official.
China Major Bridge Engineering, a Chinese firm, is working on constructing the bridge while another Chinese company Sino-Hydro is working for the river training work.
Besides, the government has appointed Bangladeshi Abdul Monem Ltd and its joint-venture Malaysian company for building the approach roads on both sides of the bridge.
The government says once completed, the bridge will give a 1.2 per cent boost to the gross domestic product (GDP).
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