Dream-come-true Padma Multipurpose Bridge already takes traffic but the PMB project trails far back despite time and cost escalations, now necessitating another sum of over Tk 26 billion.
Officials say the Bridges Division has sought Tk26.07 billion in fund allocation in the current fiscal.
And the government is likely to allocate Tk 26.02 billion as the executing agency failed to complete the project in time, they add, despite commercial operation of the bridge having stared one and a half years ago in June 2022.
Meanwhile, the Bridges Division had obtained extension of the project for one year up to June 2024, a senior Planning Commission official said.
"The Bridges Division was supposed to complete all the project works by its stipulated project tenure up to June 30, 2023. But it has failed. So, we have recently extended the cost and deadline by one and a half years more up to June 2024," he told the FE.
"After the fresh completion-deadline June this year, we will not extend the date anymore," the official added.
Amid the failure of in completion of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project, the government has been forced to increase the cost from Tk301.93 billion to Tk 326.05 billion recently.
"Before the upward adjustments, the Padma Bridge project cost was estimated at Tk301.93 billion.
The Bridge Division needs Tk 26.07 billion more to complete the project and
thus we are going to allocate the money in the upcoming RADP of the current FY2024," another PC official said.
The Bangladesh Bridges Authority (BBA) under the Bridges Division already constructed the 6.15km bridge, connecting the country's southwestern regions, and opened for the public on June 26, 2022.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated Bangladesh's largest bridge across the mighty river on an upbeat note about a quantum leap in the transportation system as well as the economic activities.
In the RADP last FY2023, the government allocated Tk 14.02 billion for completing the entire works.
According to the BBA website, it completed 99.55 per cent of the main bridge's works one and a half years ago in July 2022.
A senior PC official says: "Although the bridge-construction works were
completed in the July-August period of 2022, the project cost has been increased even this fiscal, which is unfortunate."
The government took up the much-talked-about project in 2010 with an estimated cost of Tk101.62 billion and it was scheduled to be completed in June 2015. But the cost has to be ramped up and time extended.
Following the first revision, the project cost increased to Tk205.07 billion and the deadline was extended till 31 December 2015, and after the second revision, the project cost increased to Tk287.93 billion and the deadline was extended till 31 December 2018.
With special approval for land acquisition, the project cost was increased to Tk301.93 billion in 2018.
Yet, the government also extended the project deadline until 31 December 2019 without increasing the cost, then again until 31 December 2021, and finally until 30 June 2023.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone of the project in July 2001.
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