The Padma Multipurpose Bridge authorities may not be able to spend even the cut-down revised allocation for the current fiscal year for slow-paced work.
Sources said the project office has yet to start in full swing construction of the main bridge and river-training work for failing to get confirmation of the country's longest bridge's designs.
They fear the sloth may lead to the missing of monthly target of progress in work on the expensive communications infrastructure.
The piling works of the Padma bridge and river training would not be started in full gear in the current fiscal year for non-completion of trial tests.
Officials said the Chinese contractors of the main two-component works of the 6.15-kilometre bridge have been continuing different trial tests and trial piling as per specifications of the designs during the last few months.
The trial tests and trial piles are done to confirm the load of the bridge as design.
However, an official said there is less possibility of getting confirmation of the tests by the end of the current fiscal.
"As the Padma bridge is likely to be world's deepest-foundation bridge, lots of trials are now going on based on the main design to confirm load capacity of the bridge and soil condition," he said, on condition of anonymity.
Asked about failure of the trial tests, Project Director M Shafiqul Islam, however, said the Padma bridge being a new kind of bridge with deepest foundation, it is necessary to be more cautious and time is taken to be more confirmed. According to Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA), Tk 50.09 billion was kept for the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project (PMBP) after revision from the budget of Tk 74 billion in the fiscal year 2015-16.
The 32 per cent cut in the budget was for inability to complete the targeted work by January. Till December, the project office could spend only Tk 9.0 billion.
Sources said for delay in confirmation of the design, the project office has already called a meeting with the panel of experts (PoE) and consultants to find ways from the difficulties next week.
They said the PoEs will stay on the project sites for three days from April 7, trying to find solutions in this regard.
According to the progress reports on PMBP, monthly progress of the main bridge work in February was 0.44 per cent against target of 2.05 per cent. For river-training work, monthly progress was better with 1.34 per cent against targeted 1.35.
smunima@yahoo.com
PMB can\'t spend even cut-down allocation
Munima Sultana | Published: April 06, 2016 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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