The Ministry of Communications has expressed satisfaction at the progress of road projects being executed under the supervision of Bangladesh Army throughout the country.
The Road Division under the ministry expressed the satisfaction at a meeting on Wednesday and assured the armed forces of providing all necessary supports to speed up the execution of these projects.
Special works ogranisation (SWO) of the armed forces has been implementing more than 30 projects including Dhaka-Mymensingh four-lane highway project and Marine Drive projects in Cox's Bazar. A good number of road projects are also in the pipeline to construct over 900 kilometres of roads in the Chittagong Hill Tracts by the Army.
Sources said the meeting had been called to review the progress in the projects as many of those were lacking funds and some were being delayed due to not conducting revision of the development project proposals (DPP) on time.
They said progress rate of the Army-led projects was more than 50 per cent.
"Except one or two, most of the projects are in good shape," said an official, who attended the meeting.
On condition of anonymity, he said the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive project and Teknaf-Shahporirdeep road expansion project have been delayed due to non-completion of land acquisition and not getting report from the Implementation Monitoring Evaluation Division (IMED) on the revision of the DPP.
Road Secretary MAN Siddique said the meeting had been convened as part of the Road Division's initiative to revise all the projects being implemented under the annual development programme.
"Like having meetings with zonal offices to review road projects throughout the country, we sat with the Army so that problems and challenges can be resolved without delay," he told the FE over phone.
Sources said during the current fiscal year, four project works being implemented by the Army would be completed establishing road network of over 150 kilometres in the CHT.
They said the Army has sought sufficient funds for the Dhaka-Mymensingh four-lane highway work, for which the meeting assured that it would place a demand of over Tk 4.0 billion in the revised ADP.
The meeting was informed that 26 per cent work of the highway's two packages has been completed against the ADP allotment of Tk 3.78 billion.
Besides, during the meeting the Army informed about the status of the proposed projects to construct 'missing links' and 'new connectivity' including Bangladesh-Myanmar-Balukhali-Ghundhum link road, Ruma-Bogalake-Keokaradong road and Marine Drive third-phase road.
The meeting, however, asked the armed forces to conduct a study on these roads and prepare DPP by taking time.
Road Secretary MAN Siddique chaired the meeting, where Communications Minister Obaidul Quader was present. Director General of SWO Sajjad Hossain was also present. High officials of the ministry, roads and highways department and the armed forces also attended.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
