Completion of the 193-kilometre Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane highway is set back again by a year by citing the shortage of stones, sources said.
The extension will be the third one for the project that was taken up for construction in 2006. The project was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2015.
Some project-insiders, however, have a different tale to tell about the setbacks.
Officials said stone crisis had been persisting for the last six to seven months for import-related hassles and the problem could not be resolved "despite efforts" made by the authorities.
They said the crisis made the project's finishing tasks difficult during the peak construction period after the rains.
However, sources close to the project said extension of the deadline was inevitable as contractors could not complete the targeted works in time.
According to the official sources, the project's progress during the last four-five months was negligible as supply of stones from India remained almost stopped.
"There is hardly any progress made during last one month which is the beginning of peak construction season," said one official.
According to progress report on the project, around 73 per cent physical works had been completed until October. Though report showed only 8.05-km work remaining pending until December 27 with 78 per cent progress, sources said entire top layer of the 193-km corridor remained incomplete.
And for these finishing touches, at least 250,000 cubic metres of stones will be needed by April/May, before the next monsoon sets in.
"This also necessitates extension of the deadline for completing the Tk 32 billion Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane project until December 2016," said the official.
The Planning Commission on December 15 extended the project deadline up to next December without any increase in project cost as the project's defect-liability period ends during the current month. This happens to be third time extension for completing work on the most important transport corridor that connects the main seaport.
However, the ministry concerned with the project refused to admit to stone crisis and blamed the contractors for giving it as an excuse.
"There is no crisis of stones right now. It is excuse of the contractors," road transport and highways division secretary MAN Siddique told the FE over phone.
He said the crisis which had persisted following a court order in India was over.
But project director Aftab Hossain Khan said the stones available through Chhatok are not adequate for the project's demand. The stones available through Sona Masjid which are more suitable for top layer are used for the Padma bridge project.
Showing field-level demand, the PD said against the demand for 60 trucks, on average, 15 trucks of stones are available.
Sources moreover said the contractors refrained from purchasing stones coming through Sona Masjid of Chapainawabganj district due to high rate and high transportation cost.
The PD said project office continued to try to manage alternative sources of stones to come out of the situation.
"We have written to our ministry and are looking for alternative way of importing stones to overcome the situation," he told the FE at his office.
Stone crunch ensued as India had imposed a ban on export of black and pakur stones due to a court order. It is also alleged that importers are less interested to import stones from Meghalaya of India through Sylhet for increase in import cost for weight of each vehicle through axle load machine.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges (MoRTB) held a meeting with stakeholders in Sylhet on November 06 but the situation was yet to improve.
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