Already late by years, the ill-fated Airport-Gazipur Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor seeks time extension for a fifth time, up to December next year, sources say.
The ministry of road transport and bridges has sought the time extension and also called for project revision for a third time to complete Bangladesh's first, 20.5km, dedicated bus lane meant for clearing an acute traffic congestion.
The BRT project was started six years ago in December 2016, aiming to ease traffic on the busy corridor. Now, analysts say, the remedy seems to be worse than the disease as on its long trek there have been numerous incidents and sufferings for people.
The under-construction raised road has not only created severe traffic congestions over the years, 5-6 people had died for lack of safety measure on the project site. A latest tragedy in crane collapse on a car shocked all.
Planning Commission (PC) officials Tuesday said the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges has recently sought revision of the long-struggling project.
The sources say although the project authority has failed to complete it even after extending time on four occasions and revision for a second time, the government may again extend the deadline without questioning the project authority over their failure.
The revisions on the previous two occasions have not only delayed the project, it has also eaten up 153-percent higher public tax money from the original estimation.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in November 2016 approved the project worth Tk 20.40 billion.
When the project-implementing agencies failed to complete works in time, the government revised it for a second with the cost hiked to Tk 42.68 billion-up 109 per cent from the original Tk 20.40-billion estimation.
For the third revision, the project authority has now sought extra Tk 1.53 billion or 75-percent higher funds from the project aid (loan) while it reduced the same amount of funds from government's internal resources.
Currently, the government, out of total Tk 42.68 billion, has allocated Tk28.42 billion from the project aid (loan) while Tk 12.73 billion from the internal resources.
Economic Relations Division (ERD) officials say the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide US$100 million in additional funds for the much-talked-about BRT project.
Besides, the France Development Agency and the Global Environmental Facilities Fund (GEF) are also bankrolling the BRT project.
Three agencies -- Roads and Highways Department (RHD), Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) and Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) -- are implementing the 20.5km dedicated bus-lane project.
"The project authority has sought revision of the project for 3rd time. Although the authority is not extending the overall cost, it has sought time extension for the fifth occasion. This is very unfortunate," says a senior PC official.
When asked, a Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges official said design change of the pavement, changing scope of earth work, new office-building construction for the BRT company, traffic-management problem, procurement-related changes and complexities are the major reasons for revision of the project this time around.
"We are hopeful about completing the BRT line by the middle of next year for opening it to traffic," he said.
In a bid to ease nagging traffic congestions in and around the capital, the government in 2016 took up the ADB consultant-advised BRT project which now turns out to be one of causes of suffering for traffic movement on the busy corridor between Dhaka city and northern and northeastern districts.
Another PC official says, "We are scrutinizing the revision proposal from the ministry. If we find its importance, we'll endorse it."
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