Design changes on the cards at last stage of project execution

Major changes in the design of 'Digging and development of 100-foot canals on both sides of the Kuril-Purbachal Link Road project' are in the offing at the concluding stage of its implementation.
The project, taken at a cost of Tk 52.87 billion, started in September 2015. It is scheduled to end by this August. The project was last approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) in December 2016.
According to the authorities concerned, the proposed changes are incorporated to make the project more purposeful and to integrate it with Detailed Area Plan (DAP).
The new design was placed before Housing Minister Mosharraf Hossain for approval in the project's progress review meeting on Sunday. The new design was supposed to be finalised on the day, but the meeting decided to present it to the Prime Minister for her nod.
The meeting was informed that financial progress of digging and development of the two 100-feet canals on both sides of Kuril-Purbachal Link Road (from Kuril to Balu river) project is 85 per cent. But physical progress of the project is still unknown, as the authority concerned keeps mum about the issue.
The layout design was approved by the housing minister in January 2017, where a 6.0-metre wide service road and 1.5-metre wide walkway were proposed. But another meeting was held in November 2017 with the minister in the chair, where it was decided that the engineer-in-chief of Bangladesh Army will hold a meeting in this regard.
In that meeting, held in December 2017, it was decided to cancel the service road at the property end and keep the canal inside it.
Besides, the service road was proposed to expand from two to three lanes. A 6.0-metre wide dawn at intersection of at-grade U-loop and expressway instead of four U-loops were also proposed.
Talking to the FE, Rajuk project director Nurul Islam said a meeting was held on the design change. The meeting decided to present the new design to the prime minister, as she has been directly looking after the project.
In replying why the changes are made and who have proposed the changes, he said different people like different things. The changes are proposed considering technical aspects of the project.
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) is the consultant firm of the project, implemented by Bangladesh Army.
The meeting sources said Tk 43.84 billion has been already spent for the project's land acquisition and eviction. Dhaka district administration has already handed over the land to Rajuk. In FY 2017-18, Tk 1.25 billion was released, which is 25 per cent financial progress until December 2017, the meeting was informed.

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