Nine years have elapsed with little progress in the World Bank-funded project on upgrading Chittagong-Dhaka-Ashuganj multimodal trade-and passenger route, making the global financier unhappy, sources say.
After such an inordinate delay in works for developing the important shipping route for waterway trade haulage, the Ministry of Shipping has placed a plea for revising the project with cost and time escalation.
During stocktaking of the project by a joint team of the WB and government's Economic Relations Division (ERD), the development financier vented their discontent, officials said.
The state-run Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has failed to make tangible headway in some major works like terminal construction at Pangaon, Narayanganj and Chandpur along the riverine route, they said.
"Key portion of the works at Pangaon cargo terminal, and Narayanganj and Chandpur passenger terminals have yet to be done. So, main purpose of the project will not be achieved if those are not developed," says one ERD official.
The BIWTA has executed only 63 per cent of the project works in last nine years, says a Shipping Ministry official.
Now, the BIWTA has sought two more years up to December 2027 for completing the project in its second revision proposal.
A team of the WB, the ERD and the implementing agency recently visited the project site and expressed their dissatisfaction, officials concerned said.
With the US$360 million financial support from the World Bank, the BIWTA in July 2016 started 'Dredging in Chittagong-Dhaka-Ashuganj IWT corridor along with associated routes and construction of terminals with allied infrastructure project'.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the project involving Tk 32 billion for completing in eight years until June 2024. Following failure, the ECNEC revised the project with upward estimation of Tk33.49 billion and extending the time till December 2025.
The water-transport authority had implemented only 62.85 per cent of their earmarked works till July 2025.
Failing to execute all the works, the authority has now cut some scope of works and reduced the total project cost to Tk 28 billion as the WB has also cut its financing to $214 million.
According to the officials concerned, the contractors for building the Pangaon cargo terminal, and Chandpur and Narayanganj river terminals fled after the political changeover on August 5 last year.
The authority needs to float tenders for appointing new contractors for completing the remaining works at the terminals, said an official.
Only the dredging of the Chittagong-Dhaka-Ashuganj river route has been going on, while other important works like construction of the terminals have been stuck up for long, said a visiting official with the WB-ERD team late last month.
Meanwhile, a Planning Commission official says a revised project proposal of the WB-funded project is now under scrutiny.
"If we see it feasible for the country, we will recommend approving the revision for a second time," he told the FE writer.
Under the project, the BIWTA is constructing the Ashuganj cargo terminal, and passenger terminals in Barishal, Narayanganj and Shasanghat, modernizing DEPTC Narayanganj, upgrading 13 launch terminals, making procurement of material-handling equipment, hydrographic survey equipment, purchasing multipurpose inspection vessel, and capital-and maintenance dredging on 16 waterway routes.
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