Two ministers spar over elevated expressway

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FE Report
Two important cabinet ministers have apparently thrown challenges to each other over 'speedy progress' of more than US$ 2.0 billion's worth Dhaka elevated expressway project by 2013 with the finance minister saying it is 'highly ambitious' and the communications minister calling it 'promising'.
"Dhaka elevated expressway by 2013 is a hard and an ambitious step as its construction under the public-private partnership (PPP) is time-consuming and it needs to have coordination with many other important rail and road projects," finance minister AMA Muhith told the press after a workshop on the project on Thursday.
But communications minister Syed Abul Hossain refuted his senior colleague's observation and said that the finance minister's comment is a reflection of his past experiences and his views came in line with the efforts made so far to take the project forward after it was taken a year back.
"We are confident of signing a concessionary agreement with the investor by December this year and completing 60 to 65 per cent of the project's work by 2013," he added.
Despite his terming the scheme 'ambitious', the finance minister said the government has its full support to successful implementation of the project and urged the authorities concerned to ensure coordination with other transport-related projects.
The two ministers were at the inaugural session of a workshop on Dhaka Elevated Expressway (PPP) Project," organised by Bangladesh Bridge Authority to solicit comments from experts on the proposal for four-route alignment recently submitted by the project consultant AECOM-Australia to ease the city's stifling traffic jam.
Presided over by Prof Jamilur Reza Chowdhury, the workshop was attended by principal secretary to the prime minister M Abdul Karim, communications secretary and project director Abdul Qader.
Consultants David Mayo, Sylvia Tesche and Ken Wheeler elaborated on the proposed four routes and the PPP framework of the project as well as project risk allocations, political and economic risks, procurement rules and legal issues.
They observed that among the four alignments, options 3 and 4 are more acceptable than the others for having prospects for higher revenue return than that from the first two options.
The cost of option 3 and 4 is estimated by the consultants at $ 1.25 billion and $ 1.49 billion respectively, the consultants said stressing the need for a fund of $ 200 million for land acquisition.
Representatives from different agencies of the ministry of communications, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Board of Investment and development partners were present at the workshop and shared their observations.
Delegates from the four short-listed foreign companies for the elevated expressway project also attended the workshop.