Tk 4b for metro rail project in next budget likely

The next budget is set to see an allocation of Tk 4.0 billion for the metro rail project.

Officials said the allocation would be more than double the allocation made in the current fiscal year.

The Dhaka Mass Rapid Transport Project (DMRT) received Tk 1.75 billion in the fiscal year (FY) 2013-14, which they said had been spent mainly for consultancy job and land acquisition.

A significant portion of the budget allocation would be spent to acquire land for depot at Uttara, said an official preferring not to be named.

Though the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhya (RAJUK) is yet to hand over its land from the Uttara 3rd phase project area for the MRT depot, the official said they kept a sizeable portion of the budget allocation to pay the state-owned developer to acquire land.

The DMRT project has already paid Tk 850 million to RAJUK from the current fiscal year against acquisition of 14 acres of land.

The government high-ups including the cabinet and the first track project task force directed the RAJUK to hand over a total of 54 acres of land from its Uttara 3rd phase project area for the MRT project.

The authority, however, handed over 14 acres of land from the area last year but refrained from handing over the rest of the land.

When asked about any fund allocated for the MRT company, the officials said its expenses would be met from the fund.

The government has undertaken the DMRT project to build the 20.5 -- kilometre metro railway between Uttara and Motijheel by 2024.

Implementation of the fastest mode of transport is likely to start in 2016 after completion of the ground work. The work includes a detailed design, land acquisition and resettlement.The project has already appointed a consortium of Japanese and Indian firms to carry out the detailed design of the MRT.

The first ever cent per cent government-owned MRT company was formed last year to implement, operate and maintain the DMRT.