Independent consultants, experts yet to be appointed

Munima Sultana | Published: June 24, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

The government is yet to appoint independent consultants and experts as per requirement of the Padma Bridge project though work on all components of the project has already begun, sources said.
The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA), executing agency of the US $2.9 billion Padma bridge project, has almost completed awarding the contracts involving all components of the bridge with a Chinese company selected for the main bridge construction.
Only river training work order is yet to be given.
Sources said the project office was supposed to select construction supervision consultant (CSC), management consultant (MC) and international members on the panel of experts (PoEs) prior to bidding of other components. But none of them has been appointed yet.
During every stage of implementation of the Padma Bridge project, the CSC, the MC and the PoE are to play a very important role individually.
"It is still unknown as to what extent works remain in the Padma Bridge project. So the project office needs support of these consultants at every stage to ensure quality, procurement, ratio or variation etc, in the work to see whether it is being done rightly," said an official, preferring not to be named.
He said the project office will be facing various challenges at every stage of the implementation of the Padma Bridge project, a complex one. So, advice from experts is essential, he added.
The officials concerned said it would take one or two months more to complete the process of appointing the CSC for the main bridge work and the river training work. But selection of the MC and the PoE members would take six to seven months, they added.
Sources said the project office is yet to call for proposals from firms pre-qualified for the MC when the project was under the funding arrangement of the World Bank-led financiers.
The process of selecting the MC was totally stopped following selection of SNC Lavalin as CSC in September 2011 as the World Bank raised allegation of corruption in its bidding process.
After the controversy, local experts of the panel continued extending their support to the project but all the international experts from Japan, the Netherlands and Britain remained out of the scene in the last 33 months.
The panel was constituted during design stage of the project in 2009. The project officials said they have started selecting new international members on the PoEs.
When asked about the project's quality at the implementation stage without the MC and the PoEs, Project Director M Shafiqul Islam, however, ruled out any adverse effect on project execution as it would take only few months to complete the selection of consultants and experts.
Since the project was initiated at the beginning of its last tenure, the Awami League government had declared to make it free from corruption.
But work on the project came to a halt on the allegation of corruption raised by the World Bank.
After the January 5 election, the government formed the first track project committee to implement all the mega projects including the Padma bridge.
The BBA has already started construction of two approach roads at Mawa and Janjira and awarded the work for 'service area development'.
Of the five components, 25 per cent work on the Tk 10.97 billion Jajira approach road construction, being built by AML-HCM joint venture firm, has been completed.
The same company has also been awarded the Tk 1.93 billion Mawa approach road construction. About 17 per cent work has been completed.
Seven per cent work of the service area, which was awarded to the Abdul Monem Limited, has been completed. However, after the WB controversy, the government appointed the Bangladesh Army and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology as the CSC for three components.
The international CSE will be responsible for main bridge work and river training work.
Of the two main components, the BBA signed agreement with the China Major Bridge Company to construct the 6.15 kilometre bridge at a cost of Tk 121 billion.
Three firms have already submitted financial offers for the RTW which are now under scrutiny by the project's international consultant.