The World Bank funding for a bus rapid transit (BRT) project in the city has become uncertain following the authorities' inability to sort out some problems hitting its implementation.
Officials said the BRT line-3 project could not be included in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the fiscal year (FY) 2015-16 because of the uncertainty of the WB funding, as its conflicts with other projects could not be sorted out.
Progress in completing the development project proposal also slowed down, they added.
"As we are going to complete the project's technical part within this year, assurance about funding was necessary before entering the procurement stage for establishing the dedicated bus lane from the (Hazrat Shahjalal International) Airport to Keraniganj," said an official.
Project insiders said the WB, which is now providing technical support to the BRT line-3 project to establish the 20-kilometre BRT corridor, already dropped it from its list of pipeline funding.
They said the bank included the project in its pipeline last year after its missions had reviewed the progress during visits here on different occasions.
The mission in August last suggested that the implementing agency should sort out its conflicts with the Moghbazar-Mouchak-Malibagh flyover project of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and the Babubazar project of the RAJUK (Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha).
Sorting out the problems was necessary for establishing an uninterrupted BRT line, one of the mass transport systems recommended in the Strategic Transport Plan (STP) to ease the traffic gridlock in the city, project insiders said.
The Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) has been implementing the BRT line-3 project since 2012.
It has already completed the feasibility study. The detailed design being drawn up by a Korean consortium under the World Bank's Clean Air Sustainable Environment (CASE) project is also nearing the end.
Following the World Bank's positive indication, the DTCA sent a letter to the Economic Relations Division (ERD) to ensure the Bank's financing for the project before the end of its technical stage.
However, ERD sources said the WB in a recent letter informed the ERD the project was dropped from its pipeline financing list this year. Rather it recommended resolving the problems concerning other transport-related projects involved.
This BRT line-3 is important for establishing an uninterrupted 40-kilometre long BRT corridor from Gazipur to Keraniganj running through the Airport Railway Station. The Roads and Highways Department is implementing the Gazipur-Airport part of the BRT line with financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The two BRT projects are now being planned to be named BRT-North and BRT-South.
However, a DTCA official said the authority has shared with the World Bank the outcome of coordination meetings with RAJUK and LGED on different occasions but got no response.
"The way the two authorities were working on the problems is unacceptable to the bank," said the official preferring not to be named.
When the World Bank country office was contacted, it was learnt that it had been guiding the government to adjust the BRT line-3 with Gazipur-Airport BRT line and implement it under the same funding arrangement.
In an email reply WB Acting Country Head Christine Kimes said: "The Government, the World Bank and other development partners are now in discussion regarding the best option to proceed with the findings of the studies."
smunima@yahoo.com
WB funding for BRT-3 project uncertain
Munima Sultana | Published: June 08, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
Share if you like