Fast track body set to okay metro rail basic design

The basic design of the capital's metro rail project is expected to get approval of the fast track monitoring committee meeting today (Wednesday), paving the way for its speedy implementation.
Officials said the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transport Development (DMRTD) project received the basic design from its consultant on December 28.
After its review, they said, the design is going to be placed in the meeting of the 'monitoring fast track project committee', headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, for its approval.
Officials said based on the design, the general consultant of the project will work on detailed design of the metro rail in next six months.
The Mass Rapid Transit Line-6 (MRT-6), known as metro rail, has been planned to be introduced in the city's busiest Uttara-Motijheel corridor providing 24 sets of trains.
A study says, 60,000 passengers will be able to cross the 20.5 kilometre corridor in almost half an hour.
Project Director Mofazzel Hossain said progress of the MRT line-6 project is satisfactory.
He said since it has been taken as the fast track project, technical parts of its implementation have been speeded up.
After the last year's January 5 election, the government formed the monitoring committee on fast track projects comprising six mega projects -- MRT line-6 project, Padma Bridge project, Rooppur nuclear power plant project, deep sea project, LNG terminal construction and Rampal coal- fired power plant project - to implement those on most priority basis.
Sources said the task force committee of the first track monitoring committee recommended the Matabari power plant project, which is also to be placed at Wednesday's meeting for approval.
The committee held three meetings since its inception while the task force held four meetings when different directives were given to the concerned authorities to speed up the process of implementation.
The DMRTD project's major hurdle in getting 22 hectares of land from the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhya (RAJUK) for setting up MRT depot in Uttara has been solved after intervention of the fast track monitoring committee.
Officials said the DMRTD has already received the depot land and handed over Tk 2.43 billion for land acquisition to the RAJUK as per the decision of the committee.
They said, like other six projects, the DMRTD will also share the progress of the MRT design and schedule of the tender for the Tk 220 billion project beginning this month.