The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) is set to miss its target of road maintenance works in the current dry season due to its failure to give work orders to contractors in time, allegedly, because of a change in electronic bidding system.
Sources said the problem was created as the government withdrew the system of selecting contractors through electronic lottery.
They said in the absence of a guideline for selecting contractors using alternative method, the RHD could not give work orders for road maintenance works until November last.
Officials said usually the RHD completes all work orders on road maintenance and repair works in a season by September.
"But this time, only 40 per cent of work orders of total maintenance works were given until January," said an official preferring not to be named.
He said the department starts the process of e-tendering for works each valued at over Tk 50 million during the months of July and August and issue work orders with a month or two.
Though the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development or city corporations carry road maintenance works, sources said, the RHD is responsible for maintenance of the longest stretch of road infrastructure throughout the country.
According to official records, the RHD has set a target to carry both major and minor road maintenance works on 3,180 kilometre national and regional highways until June. An amount of Tk 14.4 billion was allotted in the current fiscal year for the purpose.
But with new rules to select contractors, the RHD could complete only 20 per cent of the tender works by January.
Sources said the RHD however showed the rate of completion at 40 per cent. The raise was due inclusion of some works taken up last year and also some volume of works that did not require bidding.
An official concerned said the RHD is trying hard to complete the new work orders on road maintenance work by March.
He, however, admitted that due to delay for months, many works will need to be continued until the next dry season.
Though analysts expressed the fear of possible disruption during the upcoming Eid festivals, the official ruled out such a possibility.
The RHD has over 22,000-kilometre road network which is in poor conditions in the absence of regular repair and maintenance works for long. It blamed shortage of funds for this.
Following deterioration of the countrywide road network after 2011, the government started raising road maintenance fund from Tk 5.0 billion to Tk 10 billion within a few years.
The fund constraint also led the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges to form a road maintenance fund in 2013 to use the money collected in the form of road-related taxes, tolls and fees for ensuring fitness of roads. But it is yet to be functional.
Due to failure to carry regular road maintenance works, backlog of the RHD has been multiplied in the last few years.
smunima@yahoo.com
