Construction of the donor-funded Karnaphuli Multilane Road Tunnel project may miss the completion deadline as slower progress prompts the authorities to seek extension of the loan-availability period.
China's Exim Bank is disbursing the loan worth Tk 98b for this China-funded megaproject, one of a number of major infrastructure projects involving China.
Project officials informed the high-ups about the implementation status recently, saying that the claim that 'the main tunnel works are in line with schedule is not correct'.
According to officials delay in receiving goods, equipment from Shanghai Port since March 2022 due to Covid restrictions derailed the project-implementation process.
'This has already started impacting the progress of the main- tunnel construction works and as such the completion of the main-tunnel works also may not be completed in time,' one project official told the Bangladesh Bridge Authority in a letter.
It is learnt that the implementation of the 'Service Area' and the 'management software' component project is facing serious hurdles.
'The management system has not gone live to date,' the official informed, blaming the Chinese contractor for this setback.
Project officials say the subcontractors for 'management system' and 'service area' components were selected by the Chinese contractors and the contractor is responsible to monitor their works.
About the implementation of the service area the letter from the project says the subcontractors' progress on Service Area has been very slow since the beginning and overall progress of this component is about 47 per cent.
"CCCC has not effectively monitored or exercised control over their subcontractor since beginning. Because of the slow progress and after a request from BBA to take action, CCCC has directly undertaken some of the works subcontracted to their subcontractor, but even after this and injecting additional resources, CCCC cannot complete these works within the scheduled project time for completion i. e. by December 2022," the letter to the Bridge Authority reads.
The project officials suggested taking due steps to arrange extension of the 'Availability Period of the Exim Bank' loans by another six months up to May 06, 2023 as, according to them, 'though efforts are being made to expedite and complete the project, it is unlikely that the works will be completed by December 04, 2022'.
China Communication and Construction Company Limited (CCCC) is constructing the tunnel, measuring 9.3 kilometres in length, under the Karnaphuli river in the port city of Chattagram. There is an approach road of 5.25 kilometres alongside a 727-metre over-bridge.
Each tube of the tunnel will have two lanes and would allow one-way traffic. One would allow vehicles to move from the city to Anwara and the other in the opposite direction.
The length of each tube would be 2.45km and diameter 11.8 metres, he said.
Initially estimated Tk 8,446.64 crore, the project cost now increased to Tk 9,880 crore.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com