The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has proposed reducing its allocation for foreign-aided projects by around 27 per cent in the FY25 revised annual development programme (RADP) due to the poor progress of almost all projects in the first half of the current fiscal year.
It is implementing 21 foreign-aided projects, including two technical ones, with financial support from various development partners with a Tk 49.90 billion allocation in FY25.
Sources said though 10 projects were supposed to be completed either before December last or June next, a lower allocation of Tk 36.56 billion has been placed due to slow implementation during July-December of FY25.
Only two Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded projects - Matarbari coal-based power plant and Western Bangladesh bridge improvement - will be completed in the current fiscal year, and their allocations have also been reduced.
Sources said the deadlines for all other projects would need to be extended due to implementation delays mostly caused by the government's decision to review most projects after the regime change.
Officials, however, said three projects under the Indian line of credit (LoC) have mostly been affected as Indian contractors who left Bangladesh during last year's student-led uprising did not return later.
The allocations for Ashuganj land port-Sarail-Khorkha-Akhaura land port road project, Cumilla (Mainamati)-Brahmanbaria (Khorkha) national highway four-lane project, and Baraiyarhat-Heyanko-Ramgarh road widening project were slashed by 78 per cent, 68 per cent, and 38 per cent, respectively.
Sources also said many projects' requirements were lowered as development partners opted for slow implementation while understanding the interim government's policies.
The RHD's foreign-aided projects are under implementation with assistance from the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Korea International Cooperation Agency, Kuwait funds, and the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Other projects include Greater Dhaka sustainable urban transport or Gazipur-Airport BRT project, Elenga-Hatikumrul-Rangpur highway four-lane project, Sylhet Tamabil highway four-lane project, and technical assistant for road transport connectivity improvement project.
Of the World Bank-funded projects, the Sylhet-Charkhai-Sheola highway development project and Bangladesh road safety project could not make the expected progress. The first project's tender launched in 2023 is yet to open, and there is a lack of coordination among various ministries to implement the other one.
The allocation demand for the two projects was reduced by 92 per cent and 88 per cent, respectively.
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