Dhaka-Ctg 4-lane highway project faces uncertainty
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Munima Sultana
The first highway widening project on the Dhaka-Chittagong corridor faces uncertainty about starting construction works because of an acute crisis of sand and earth (soil) supplies.
The government earlier took up the project to upgrade the existing national highways for ensuring four-lane arrangements for movements of vehicular traffic through them.
The firms which signed contracts have been struggling to manage the prime requirements -- earth (soil) and sand -- for construction works to fill up the 193km-long Dhaka-Chittagong highway as different ministries have put restrictions on the collection of the materials from the potential supply sources, officials said.
They said the agricultural ministry has put a bar on collecting 'earth' (soil) from arable land while environmental ministry has restricted supplies from the sea-shore and small hills.
Besides, the officials said the water resource ministry would not allow to collect the dredged-out silt from the rivers without signing a memorandum of understanding with the ministry of communications, after a feasibility study.
Furthermore, the contractors will also require to seek permission from the land ministry to collect earth/sand, after dredging the same from the nearby rivers. Many rivers have been given on lease. Under such a situation, the project implementation agency, Roads and Highways Department, will be in a tight corner to ensure the construction of the project in time, the officials added.
The country's first four-lane project on its main economic corridor between Dhaka and Chittagong cities, will need over 1.0 million cubic feet of sand and earth (or soil) to help widen the 193-kilometre highway by 2013.
The officials of the ministry of communications said the government has already announced to make four-lane arrangements for the 3.478 km national highways.
The works for two highways including that of Dhaka-Mymensingh will start soon and then the demand for earth or soil will further increased.
"In the present context, we were able to manage soil or earth for 20 km of the Dhaka Chittagong Highway," said project director Arifur Rahman Jinnah.
He said the project proposed to collect the important earth-filling materials from the fellow lands, hills and sea-shore as buying or import of them is not feasible for road construction purposes.
Environmental groups, however, said since the government has a plan to upgrade all highways into four lanes, it has to take an integrated policy to manage supplies for multiples of million cubic feet of soil from different sources while ensuring economic development, food security and environment balance.
A senior official of Department of Environment (DOE) said giving hill or sea-shore sand for the four-lane project's earth filling works would cause an irreversible damage to the environment.
"We are yet to give clearance to the Dhaka-Chittagong highway project for getting soil or earth from the small hills as we cannot create any hill if we cause damage to it," he said.
The official added that the use of sand from the sea-shore would also be a natural disaster as it protects the main land from devouring by the sea and is a part of bio-diversity.
The DOE, however, proposed for collection of the required construction materials for the present project through dredging operations as there are three big rivers and 25 small rivers and canals, adjoining the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, through an integrated plan.
"We have to protect our environment as it is already under a severe threat by unscrupulous activities by a section of operators in the private sector. We cannot allow its continuation in the public sector," the official added.
Meanwhile, the widening of the road into four lanes has become a necessity due to a double-digit growth of traffic on it every year. According to a study by the RHD, on an average 18,000 motor vehicles ply over the country's prime highway every day, making it the busiest one among all highways.
Traffic experts said the project is very important for the country's economic growth as the existing highway between Dhaka and Chittagong -- the main economic corridor of the country -- is very narrow and faces now a chronic congestion, delaying the movements of goods for exports and imports.
Sinohydro of China, Reza Construction Ltd, and a consortium of Taher Brothers and Al-Amin Construction Ltd, started the widening work at eight points of the highway at the end of last year.
Among these points, the work from Feni to Comilla Biswa Road has been going on at a slow pace while the rest of its part, up to Daudkandi, has remained yet almost untouched.
The first highway widening project on the Dhaka-Chittagong corridor faces uncertainty about starting construction works because of an acute crisis of sand and earth (soil) supplies.
The government earlier took up the project to upgrade the existing national highways for ensuring four-lane arrangements for movements of vehicular traffic through them.
The firms which signed contracts have been struggling to manage the prime requirements -- earth (soil) and sand -- for construction works to fill up the 193km-long Dhaka-Chittagong highway as different ministries have put restrictions on the collection of the materials from the potential supply sources, officials said.
They said the agricultural ministry has put a bar on collecting 'earth' (soil) from arable land while environmental ministry has restricted supplies from the sea-shore and small hills.
Besides, the officials said the water resource ministry would not allow to collect the dredged-out silt from the rivers without signing a memorandum of understanding with the ministry of communications, after a feasibility study.
Furthermore, the contractors will also require to seek permission from the land ministry to collect earth/sand, after dredging the same from the nearby rivers. Many rivers have been given on lease. Under such a situation, the project implementation agency, Roads and Highways Department, will be in a tight corner to ensure the construction of the project in time, the officials added.
The country's first four-lane project on its main economic corridor between Dhaka and Chittagong cities, will need over 1.0 million cubic feet of sand and earth (or soil) to help widen the 193-kilometre highway by 2013.
The officials of the ministry of communications said the government has already announced to make four-lane arrangements for the 3.478 km national highways.
The works for two highways including that of Dhaka-Mymensingh will start soon and then the demand for earth or soil will further increased.
"In the present context, we were able to manage soil or earth for 20 km of the Dhaka Chittagong Highway," said project director Arifur Rahman Jinnah.
He said the project proposed to collect the important earth-filling materials from the fellow lands, hills and sea-shore as buying or import of them is not feasible for road construction purposes.
Environmental groups, however, said since the government has a plan to upgrade all highways into four lanes, it has to take an integrated policy to manage supplies for multiples of million cubic feet of soil from different sources while ensuring economic development, food security and environment balance.
A senior official of Department of Environment (DOE) said giving hill or sea-shore sand for the four-lane project's earth filling works would cause an irreversible damage to the environment.
"We are yet to give clearance to the Dhaka-Chittagong highway project for getting soil or earth from the small hills as we cannot create any hill if we cause damage to it," he said.
The official added that the use of sand from the sea-shore would also be a natural disaster as it protects the main land from devouring by the sea and is a part of bio-diversity.
The DOE, however, proposed for collection of the required construction materials for the present project through dredging operations as there are three big rivers and 25 small rivers and canals, adjoining the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, through an integrated plan.
"We have to protect our environment as it is already under a severe threat by unscrupulous activities by a section of operators in the private sector. We cannot allow its continuation in the public sector," the official added.
Meanwhile, the widening of the road into four lanes has become a necessity due to a double-digit growth of traffic on it every year. According to a study by the RHD, on an average 18,000 motor vehicles ply over the country's prime highway every day, making it the busiest one among all highways.
Traffic experts said the project is very important for the country's economic growth as the existing highway between Dhaka and Chittagong -- the main economic corridor of the country -- is very narrow and faces now a chronic congestion, delaying the movements of goods for exports and imports.
Sinohydro of China, Reza Construction Ltd, and a consortium of Taher Brothers and Al-Amin Construction Ltd, started the widening work at eight points of the highway at the end of last year.
Among these points, the work from Feni to Comilla Biswa Road has been going on at a slow pace while the rest of its part, up to Daudkandi, has remained yet almost untouched.