The revision of the first metro rail project's Development Project Proposal (DPP) has become urgent, with officials rushing to secure approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) before the interim government's tenure ends.
Officials said a significant portion of the Motijheel-Kamalapur section remains unfinished, and there is no alternative but to approve the Revised DPP (RDPP) of the Dhaka Mass Transit Development Project, as its tenure ends next December. One or two more ECNEC meetings are likely to be held during the interim government's tenure.
The company revised the DPP for the third time, reducing the cost by 2.25 per cent and extending the project timeline until 2028.
The total project cost was reduced to Tk 327.17 billion from Tk 334.71 billion, which had been increased from the original DPP cost of Tk219.85 billion. There was no change in cost in the first DPP revision in 2017.
Of the total cost in the third RDPP, the government's contribution would be Tk125.21 billion and the Japan International Cooperation Agency's (JICA) Tk 201.95 billion. Officials said over Tk7.54 billion would be saved, mainly due to lower spending on land acquisition.
However, sources said the current situation arose because the Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD) did not take timely action to approve the RDPP, even though the project office had submitted it several months ago.
The RTHD finally expedited the process of sending the RDPP to the Planning Commission, knowing that November 10 was the last ECNEC meeting under the current government.
Despite holding an emergency PEC meeting for the project on November 4, it could not be placed on the ECNEC agenda on November 10. The RTHD finally sent the RDPP to the Planning Commission on November 12 after obtaining the sign-off of the adviser for Rail and Road.
ECNEC division sources said the next ECNEC meeting is likely to be held at the end of the current month, as the DMTDP project, like some other projects from different agencies, has similar urgency.
DMTCL sources said approval with an extension of time would ensure contractor payments and maintain project staff engagement.
"If the project is not approved during the current government's ECNEC, approval would be delayed for several months due to the election, and all project staff and contractors would face difficulties in carrying out their work," said one source, preferring anonymity.
Officials explained that significant time was lost in negotiations with the contractor for contract package 7, as the initial quotation exceeded the estimated cost. The contractor finally started work earlier this year. Additionally, civil work progressed slowly due to the July uprising and changes in DMTCL management.
The DMTCL invited all contractors to submit proposals for the 1.16-km extension of MRT-6 and selected them through negotiation to save time. Sources said the third revision proposed 3.56 hectares less land acquisition at the implementation stage, saving Tk 12.11 billion.
smunima@yahoo.com