Two firms line up to build Dhaka-Ctg express road

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Munima Sultana
An Indian firm and a US-China joint venture have lined up to construct the proposed 4.3 billion dollar second highway between Dhaka and Chittagong, officials said Sunday.
The government opened pre-qualification tender on January 22 for the dedicated express highway but the bidding received tepid response from international construction companies before the deadline ended on April 15.
Officials of the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) said Soma Enterprise of India and Global Enterprise, a joint venture of Chinese and American constructors, made primary bidding for the ambitious project.
"We thought we would get good response from global construction giants for the $4.3 billion dollar express highway project," an official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"But the response was not satisfactory. Some other reputed firms have made queries for the project. They backed off after failing to get assurance from the government that it would acquire land for them," he added.
The same two companies are among nine firms who have made bidding for the two billion dollar elevated expressway in the capital. But they were disqualified after preliminary evaluation.
"We hope that their bids for the Dhaka-Chittagong highway would be better this time," said Mohammad Mafizul Islam, interim head of the second Dhaka-Chittagong express highway project.
Islam said an evaluation committee comprising RHD officials and experts from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology will assess the proposals and give their judgment within months.
The government has already completed feasibility study of the highway that would stretch 215 kilometres between the country's two main cities.
The authorities had earlier invited tenders for the express highway in 2007 and 2008, but did not get any response.
Experts have said a dedicated Dhaka-Chittagong highway would boost foreign trade, enhance the country's competitive advantages and cut cost of exportation.