A prolonged deadlock over the MRT-5 South project approval is set to end as the Planning Commission has approved an extension of its technical-assistance part, allowing preparatory work to continue ahead of the main scheme.
Officials say the commission on Tuesday extended the Technical Assistance Project Proposal (TAPP) for the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-5 South by six months until December without increasing the cost.
They say the extension is necessary to appoint a construction supervision consultant for the main project, prepare tender documents, and sign the financing agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the project's lead development partner.
"With this, the project tenure has been extended for the fourth time," an official involved in the approval process says.
He says the last two extensions were required because the approval of the Tk 477.21 billion MRT-5 South project remained pending for the past two years.
The TAPP was approved in 2019 to complete the feasibility study, detailed design, and related works between 2020 and 2023.
According to the project office, the first year was largely lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic, while contracts with TAPP consultants were signed in March 2021.
As a result, the project was first extended by a year until June 2024.
However, after the Planning Commission put the main project on hold in March 2024, the TAPP was extended twice - first until June 2025 and then until June 2026.
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) submitted the development project proposal (DPP) for MRT-5 South to the Planning Commission in March 2024.
However, the proposal remained stalled after a Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting.
The undue delay was caused by the student movement in July that year, ouster of the Awami League government in August, the interim government's reluctance to proceed, and the project's high cost.
The proposed MRT-5 South will be a 17.2-kilometre metro rail line, connecting Gabtoli and Dasherkandi through 15 stations.
The project is targeted for completion by 2030.
It is also the first metro rail scheme in Bangladesh to be financed by development partners other than Japan, which has funded three other MRT lines out of the six planned for Dhaka.
Apart from MRT-6, two other metro rail projects funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency also remained stalled at the procurement stage over cost issues during the interim government's tenure.
As the incumbent government has decided to remove all deadlocks surrounding the metro rail projects, a strategic decision has been made to advance MRT-5 South first, ahead of the two other pending lines.
Sources say Tuesday's approval of the TAPP extension signals the government's intention to resume project work.
smunima@yahoo.com
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