The planning commission is under pressure to approve the MRT-5 southern line project, although it was sent back more than a month ago for bloated costs and having less priority than another MRT line, officials said on Wednesday.
The commission is required to arrange the project evaluation committee (PEC) meeting on Monday next week, aimed at endorsing the project as the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges sought its approval again, they said.
The proposed 17.20km project was undertaken by the ousted Sheikh Hasina government at a cost of Tk 546.19 billion ($5.1 billion), which is one of the costliest projects in Asia, analysts say.
Although Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) is now constructing the MRT-5 northern route from Hemayetpur to Vatara via Gabtoli and Mirpur, it proposed the southern route from Gabtoli to Dasherkandi with massive costs, a planning commission official said.
"Before the July-August uprising, the ministry in March 2024 sent us the MRT-5 southern route project proposal. We scrutinised and sent it back, suggesting the ministry rethink the line's priority, costs, and operational viability," he said.
He also said they had suggested DMTCL build the MRT-2 line first and think about some better options for the proposed route to be implemented later.
"Since the government exchequer is under pressure, we suggested putting the megaproject on hold at the moment and recommended implementing the MRT-2 line, which is a priority," another commission official said.
"So, we suggested DMTCL go with MRT-2 first and MRT-5 second when the economy will revive and foreign-exchange reserves will become stable."
The planning commission will also suggest DMTCL some options for MRT-5 south if the government wants to build the line, according to officials.
They said DMTCL's first option is to construct the line from Karwan Bazar to Dasherkandi, removing the Gabtoli-Karwan Bazar segment.
The second option is to build the line from Mohammadpur to Dasherkandi as MRT-2 starts from Gabtoli.
The third option is to construct a branch line from Mohammadpur to Bijoy Sarani to connect with the existing MRT-6 line.
Several officials said the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has some influence on the MRT-5 southern line project's approval as it has already signed a loan deal with the Bangladesh government.
The ADB has confirmed $2.28 billion in loans, while Korea pledged $1.30 billion, resulting in a total funding of $3.6 billion for the project.
Some two years back, the Economic Relations Division (ERD) requested DMTCL to rationalise the $5.5 billion cost of the project, referring to the bloated estimations compared to the projects of a similar nature under implementation in India and other countries.
An ADB-funded project in November last estimated the cost of the MRT-5 southern line project at some $5.5 billion and the ERD had some observations there, said an ERD official.
Of the cost, the ADB assured of providing $3.5 billion in loans and also managing a co-financier.
In light of the planning commission's suggestions and criticisms, the overall project cost saw a sharp 15 per cent reduction after a recent review, which showed the potential of saving money by reassessing megaprojects.
The cost cut, equivalent to nearly Tk 68.98 billion, came after DMTCL re-evaluated the project upon the instructions of the planning commission led by Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud as the adviser.
Meanwhile, a road transport ministry official said, "The MRT-5 south line is mature than MRT-2 and MRT-4. Even its rerouting towards Old Dhaka will take fresh time to start."
Another planning commission official said, "We reviewed the gigantic MRT-5 south line project. Since the MRT-5 north line construction is going on, we now want to prioritise MRT-2, which may give higher financial returns."
He said since DMTCL is already implementing the MRT-5 north line, which starts from Hemayetpur and goes through Aminbazar and Gabtoli, there is no reason to make another big investment in a route towards the same direction.
DMTCL is building the MRT-5 north route (Hemayetpur-Aminbazar-Gabtoli-Mirpur 1-Mirpur 10-Kachukhet-Banani-Gulshan 2-Natun Bazar-Vatara) at a cost of Tk 412.38 billion.
The MRT-2 line will be constructed from Gabtoli to Narayanganj via Dhaka Udyan, Mohammadpur Bus Stand, Zigatola, Science Lab Crossing, New Market, Azimpur, Plassey, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Gulistan, Motijheel, and Kamalapur.
A branch line has been proposed to connect Golap Shah Mazar, Nayabazar, and Sadarghat, which will meet the main line at Gulistan.
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