All massive projects go awry,completion in 2 years elusive
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Munima Sultana
All the mega projects, initiated so far by the government to improve infrastructure facilities, have been stuck up in various problems making them well-nigh impossible for implementation in the next two years' time, experts observed.
Of four such mega projects, the fate of US$ 3.0 billion Padma Multi-purpose Bridge project still remains uncertain. This uncertainty is more over its getting off the ground during the tenure of the present government. However, the Prime Minister and the Communications Minister have 'rescheduled' the period for its project planning, they added.
Mega infrastructure development projects for which the government has earlier initiated the move, relate to highway expansion and reduction of traffic congestion. The government had stated that implementation of those projects would be made before the next election.
Officials and transport experts said that none of such projects has reached the "stage of completion of all necessary works", prior to their implementation, even after the passage of three years of rule of the present government.
They said progress for implementation of these projects has slowed down due to various reasons including the one, centring the alleged graft issue concerning the Padma Bridge and the run-down condition of roads and highways.
Sources said frustration has gripped the project-related officials under the ministry of communications.
They said the Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane project -- one of the priority projects of the government for which hard actions began in 2009 for its completion by 2013 -- has also been facing problems like insufficient budgetary resource allocation and a huge requirement of earth to widen the 192-kilometre highway.
Upon visiting the highway recently, this FE correspondent found little signs of full-swing work on the highway, despite the fact that the dry season for road construction has set in.
The Tk 24 billion project has now only two dry seasons left for earth-filling the entire road, against which the contractors have been able to complete work only on a narrow strip of area.
However, officials at Roads and Highways Department (RHD) claim that among all mega projects, the Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane project has reached a level which might see "the final stage of completion" during the tenure of the present government, if the right and immediate cooperation is received from all concerned.
Experts said this project has already gone through the change of five project directors (PDs) since its inception. "Now the project is on its course of implementation, once again without the PD, particularly at a time when many important decisions need to be taken by the director to carry out the highest volume of works during the peak construction season," said an official.
The post of the PD for this project has remained vacant in the last two months as the earlier director was transferred to Bangladesh Bridge Authority as the PD of the Padma Bridge project.
An official preferring anonymity, however, said they were hopeful of completing this important project by 2014 by taking another dry season.
But the experts said fund mismatch relating to the project is high and three contractor-companies are still in need of earth as they are not getting enough sources of it, at places close to their respective sites.
Dhaka Elevated Expressway (DEE) -- the work order for which was given to an international firm -- still remains 'in mist', even a year after starting some works on it, because of failure to ensure fund for its financing.
Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) and Ital-Thai signed the concessionary agreement on January 19, 2011 with a target to start the project within three months.
Though BBA officials and Ital-Thai representatives stated that the first phase of DEE's work had already started at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport point in Dhaka, the pace of its work was found not up to the mark, in order to cover a swathe of the 26km elevated road by 2014.
The contractor concerned is yet to get confirmation of getting an adequate amount of money from local and international financiers due to non-availability of all relevant documents and feasibility and study reports in a proper form. The land acquisition process has not also started yet.
The DEE has been planned to be constructed over the railway corridor, which the experts fear may create 'new problems' during the stage of its implementation work, in the wake of setting up of a new railway ministry.
An official, preferring anonymity, said that due to separation of road and rail divisions from the communications ministry, the country's first-ever metro rail project is most likely to encounter a fresh phase of conflicts.
Officials said though the metro rail was one of the prioritised projects, taken up by the government to help ease traffic jam situation in the capital city, it may have to brace for uncertainty owing to the changes in responsibility of the ministries.
The cabinet division has issued an order to hand over the mass rapid transit line-6, or metro rail project, to the newly-formed railway ministry, compounding further the problems about its implementation for high-capacity passenger service.
The experts said the MRT project has been made a low-priority project by the government as it will have no "visibility impact" on the voters during the next general election because of lack of a sufficient level of progress about its implementation so far.
"With the change of the ministry, the MRT project is facing further uncertainty for an unlimited time," said an official of ministry of communications on condition that he will be not named.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the project's prime financier, has done all necessary preparatory works including the completion of a feasibility study to put in place the 21.5 kilometre route from Pallabi to Motijheel, under Dhaka Transport Coordination Board of the ministry of communications.
Officials said during the last visit of a fact-finding mission of JICA, a time-bound plan to start the first-ever MRT project was taken up, making the ministry of communications as its lead ministry.
"JICA has given indication about signing the loan agreement with the government in March this year," said an official
The government handed over the responsibility of initiating all actions for execution and operationalisation of US$ 2.75 billion MRT line-6 project to the railway ministry through the 'allocation of business', issued on December 04 last.
The government said the decision was taken in accordance with the rules of business of the railway ministry and the nature of the work of the metro rail.
But transport experts of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) said the nature of two rails is totally different, as one operates as a traditional rail service while another is an urban transport.
Meanwhile, the uncertainty over starting the Padma Multi-purpose Bridge project either with co-financiers' support or under public-private-partnership (PPP), is unlikely to be resolved shortly.
The officials said since the suspension of support of external assistance to the tune of US$ 1.2 billion by the World Bank (WB) for the Padma Bridge project, there has been hardly any progress about its execution.
There is no instruction or information about starting the Padma Bridge even under PPP, said an official.
All the mega projects, initiated so far by the government to improve infrastructure facilities, have been stuck up in various problems making them well-nigh impossible for implementation in the next two years' time, experts observed.
Of four such mega projects, the fate of US$ 3.0 billion Padma Multi-purpose Bridge project still remains uncertain. This uncertainty is more over its getting off the ground during the tenure of the present government. However, the Prime Minister and the Communications Minister have 'rescheduled' the period for its project planning, they added.
Mega infrastructure development projects for which the government has earlier initiated the move, relate to highway expansion and reduction of traffic congestion. The government had stated that implementation of those projects would be made before the next election.
Officials and transport experts said that none of such projects has reached the "stage of completion of all necessary works", prior to their implementation, even after the passage of three years of rule of the present government.
They said progress for implementation of these projects has slowed down due to various reasons including the one, centring the alleged graft issue concerning the Padma Bridge and the run-down condition of roads and highways.
Sources said frustration has gripped the project-related officials under the ministry of communications.
They said the Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane project -- one of the priority projects of the government for which hard actions began in 2009 for its completion by 2013 -- has also been facing problems like insufficient budgetary resource allocation and a huge requirement of earth to widen the 192-kilometre highway.
Upon visiting the highway recently, this FE correspondent found little signs of full-swing work on the highway, despite the fact that the dry season for road construction has set in.
The Tk 24 billion project has now only two dry seasons left for earth-filling the entire road, against which the contractors have been able to complete work only on a narrow strip of area.
However, officials at Roads and Highways Department (RHD) claim that among all mega projects, the Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane project has reached a level which might see "the final stage of completion" during the tenure of the present government, if the right and immediate cooperation is received from all concerned.
Experts said this project has already gone through the change of five project directors (PDs) since its inception. "Now the project is on its course of implementation, once again without the PD, particularly at a time when many important decisions need to be taken by the director to carry out the highest volume of works during the peak construction season," said an official.
The post of the PD for this project has remained vacant in the last two months as the earlier director was transferred to Bangladesh Bridge Authority as the PD of the Padma Bridge project.
An official preferring anonymity, however, said they were hopeful of completing this important project by 2014 by taking another dry season.
But the experts said fund mismatch relating to the project is high and three contractor-companies are still in need of earth as they are not getting enough sources of it, at places close to their respective sites.
Dhaka Elevated Expressway (DEE) -- the work order for which was given to an international firm -- still remains 'in mist', even a year after starting some works on it, because of failure to ensure fund for its financing.
Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) and Ital-Thai signed the concessionary agreement on January 19, 2011 with a target to start the project within three months.
Though BBA officials and Ital-Thai representatives stated that the first phase of DEE's work had already started at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport point in Dhaka, the pace of its work was found not up to the mark, in order to cover a swathe of the 26km elevated road by 2014.
The contractor concerned is yet to get confirmation of getting an adequate amount of money from local and international financiers due to non-availability of all relevant documents and feasibility and study reports in a proper form. The land acquisition process has not also started yet.
The DEE has been planned to be constructed over the railway corridor, which the experts fear may create 'new problems' during the stage of its implementation work, in the wake of setting up of a new railway ministry.
An official, preferring anonymity, said that due to separation of road and rail divisions from the communications ministry, the country's first-ever metro rail project is most likely to encounter a fresh phase of conflicts.
Officials said though the metro rail was one of the prioritised projects, taken up by the government to help ease traffic jam situation in the capital city, it may have to brace for uncertainty owing to the changes in responsibility of the ministries.
The cabinet division has issued an order to hand over the mass rapid transit line-6, or metro rail project, to the newly-formed railway ministry, compounding further the problems about its implementation for high-capacity passenger service.
The experts said the MRT project has been made a low-priority project by the government as it will have no "visibility impact" on the voters during the next general election because of lack of a sufficient level of progress about its implementation so far.
"With the change of the ministry, the MRT project is facing further uncertainty for an unlimited time," said an official of ministry of communications on condition that he will be not named.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the project's prime financier, has done all necessary preparatory works including the completion of a feasibility study to put in place the 21.5 kilometre route from Pallabi to Motijheel, under Dhaka Transport Coordination Board of the ministry of communications.
Officials said during the last visit of a fact-finding mission of JICA, a time-bound plan to start the first-ever MRT project was taken up, making the ministry of communications as its lead ministry.
"JICA has given indication about signing the loan agreement with the government in March this year," said an official
The government handed over the responsibility of initiating all actions for execution and operationalisation of US$ 2.75 billion MRT line-6 project to the railway ministry through the 'allocation of business', issued on December 04 last.
The government said the decision was taken in accordance with the rules of business of the railway ministry and the nature of the work of the metro rail.
But transport experts of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) said the nature of two rails is totally different, as one operates as a traditional rail service while another is an urban transport.
Meanwhile, the uncertainty over starting the Padma Multi-purpose Bridge project either with co-financiers' support or under public-private-partnership (PPP), is unlikely to be resolved shortly.
The officials said since the suspension of support of external assistance to the tune of US$ 1.2 billion by the World Bank (WB) for the Padma Bridge project, there has been hardly any progress about its execution.
There is no instruction or information about starting the Padma Bridge even under PPP, said an official.