Metro rail project goes to railway ministry

---

Munima Sultana
The government has handed over the responsibility of initiating all actions for execution and operationalisation of US$ 2.75 billion metro rail project to the railway ministry, unloading the ministry of communications of any work relating to it.
Officials said Thursday, through the 'allocation of business' issued on December 04, the cabinet has given the responsibility for the metro rail, known as Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), project to the railway ministry for carrying out the entire work of its development, operation and maintenance by it.
The decision was taken according to the rules of business of the railway ministry and the nature of the work of the metro rail, they said.
The work on MRT, the first of its kind in the city, has so far been carried out through the Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) under the ministry of communications with assistance and guidance of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the project's premier financier.
A senior official of the ministry of communications said the railway ministry has already expressed its willingness to implement the MRT project and sought necessary files and documents from the Road Division of the communica
-tions ministry.
Although the ministry of communications had worked hard to keep the highly technical and modern urban transport project within its operational ambit even after the 'allocation of business', the officials said the railway ministry did not give in to the demand.
"A letter was issued to the railway minister but it was not accepted," said an official preferring anonymity.
However, some transport experts are critical of the decision considering the MRT, being a high-capacity and the fastest urban passenger transport service, has its modality MRT which is totally different from that of the railway.
They said the rules of business for metro rail and traditional rail service were different and their decisions at policy, financial and operating levels would not be similar.
Meanwhile, the ministry of communications has now stopped all the works for taking the MRT project move forward. This is likely to make it difficult for the government to complete the time-bound scheme of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the same group of experts said.
Such experts have expressed the fear that this decision would cause a fresh setback for its implementation on time to upgrade and improve the transportation system in the capital city.
The fact-finding mission of JICA, the economic relations division (ERD) and the ministry of communications signed the minutes of discussion (MoD) on MRT on December 22, spelling out a time-bound action plan to sign the loan agreement in March.
JICA has set the calendar to complete various kinds of works including approval of the MRT project by ECNEC and full formation of the special project office for starting the elevated MRT from Uttara to Motijheel during the present government's tenure.
However, after the communications ministry received the letter about the 'allocation of business' from the Cabinet Division, it has stopped working on the MRT project.
According to the MoU, the ministry of communications has expected to send the development project proposal (DPP) of the MRT to the Planning Commission by December 29 and to get its approval by January 15. It has also set the date to fill up the posts of 15 members of SPO by this time and to get Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority Act passed by Parliament within February, 2012.
"We have worked for the MRT until the date of receiving the communication from the Cabinet Division about 'allocation of business'," said Road Division Secretary MAN Siddique.
The experts who are critical of the latest government move, said before taking the decision about handing over the metro rail project to another ministry, the government should have made some consultations with relevant organisations and agencies.
"At least, the government could refer the matter to consultants and experts to get their views or recommendations and to take their analyses into account, before taking the decision.," said one such expert.
He said a steering committee on MRT, comprising members of various organisations including Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), has put forward many suggestions and recommendations, which could also play a role in making a decision about which ministry or the authorities would be made responsible for all its works.
Dr Shamsul Haque, professor of Civil Engineering Department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, said mass transit projects are implemented under a different and independent authority as they cover all urban transports like MRT, BRT, water-bus, mono-rail etc.
The urban rail system is used as one of the traffic management tools and needs to be coordinated with other urban transport projects, he added.
Other transport experts, however, proposed to keep the metro project under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to help resolve any problem, arising in the future, at the earliest.
JICA has also suggested the government to form the Dhaka Mass Transport Corporation through enacting the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority Act, under which all the mass transit projects would be implemented.
MRT was proposed to be set up in the city's three corridors under a strategic transport plan in 2005.
Since the project was taken up, it has faced a series of hurdles, mainly due to the concerned people's lack of knowledge about the modern transport system, and also become of the long-lingering system of 'red-tape'.