Despite a proposed allocation of Tk 607.3 billion for road, rail, waterways and civil aviation development in FY2026-27, sector insiders have expressed doubts over the government's ability to utilize a significant portion of the funds.
They attributed the concern mainly to prolonged delays in land acquisition (LA) and the slow approval of key projects by the Planning Commission.
However, officials said several high-budget projects have made little headway over the past two years due to unresolved land acquisition issues, resulting in returning a significant portion of this year's Annual Development Programme (ADP) allocation.
Among the worst-affected projects are the Dhaka-Sylhet four-lane highway and the Sylhet-Tamabil four-lane highway projects.
"While a small amount of land has been acquired for the Dhaka-Sylhet section under the SASEC project, virtually no progress has been made on the Sylhet-Tamabil section," said an official, requesting anonymity.
Other major projects facing setbacks include the Cumilla (Moynamoti)-Brahmanbaria (Dharkhar) road upgrade to a national highway, which has been stalled due to funding constraints under the Indian Line of Credit, and the Kawatkhali Bridge project, which remains stuck amid multiple complications, including land acquisition.
Although Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury highlighted plans to develop a 3,000-kilometre expressway network, the Dhaka-Chattogram Expressway and three MRT lines in his budget speech, the expressway projects have yet to be formulated for approval by the Planning Commission.
Meanwhile, all Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) projects are currently stalled at the procurement stage due to various technical issues. Sector insiders said it would be difficult to utilize the proposed Tk 126.48 billion allocation for metro rail development.
Officials of the Bridge Division, however, said they may require additional funds if the revised Development Project Proposal (DPP) for the Dhaka-Asulia Elevated Expressway is approved. The revised proposal, which includes a substantial cost increase, has already been submitted to the Planning Commission.
The proposed budget allocates Tk 29.08 billion to the Bridge Division, mainly for bridge and elevated expressway construction. However, officials noted that the Bangladesh Bridge Authority has only a handful of ongoing projects and that progress in most of them remains slow.
Bangladesh Railway (BR) officials also said the implementation of several major projects has been hampered by delays in land acquisition and approval processes.
The long-delayed Dhirashram Inland Container Depot (ICD) project is among the affected schemes. BR is expected to surrender around Tk 5 billion under the revised ADP this year due to unresolved land acquisition issues.
Officials said many railway projects are interconnected and are unlikely to achieve expected spending targets because of persistent delays in approvals and land acquisition.
Although BR has 31 approved ongoing projects, nine major schemes -- including the Laksam-Chinki Astana-Chattogram dual-gauge rail line and the proposed Cord Line project linking Fatullah and Laksam to shorten the Dhaka-Chattogram rail corridor -- have yet to enter the implementation stage. Besides, delay in procurement of coaches and locomotives under different projects may also hinder the process of spending the BR's budget.
The proposed FY2026-27 budget earmarks Tk 99.40 billion for the Railways Ministry, Tk 90.80 billion for the Shipping Ministry and Tk 18.84 billion for the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry.
smunima@yahoo.com