Govt again requests Japan to repair Meghna Bridge

Munima Sultana The government has again requested Japan to rehabilitate the already threatened Meghna Bridge for ensuring traffic movement on the country's busiest Dhaka-Chittagong highway as it has severe fund constraints. Officials said a formal request was made to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) last week as it has become difficult for the government to arrange Tk 1.49 billion for the rehabilitation work.Earlier, the government requested the JICA to rehabilitate the 930-metre bridge which was constructed in 1991 but the Japanese lending agency expressed its unwillingness saying that it will conduct its own study. Officials said since a survey detected that the bridge is in a deplorable condition, Roads and Highways Department (RHD) sent a development project proposal (DPP) to the Planning Commission for the fund on October 3. But the DPP has not been placed in the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC). "Over the last three weeks, we have been expecting that the proposal for the fund would be placed in the ECNEC meeting, but it was not placed due to unknown reasons," said an official, preferring anonymity, confirming that the proposal will also not be on the agenda of the today's (Tuesday) meeting. He said though JICA has expressed its unwillingness to do the rehabilitation work without its own feasibility study, the Road Division Secretary has sent the request to it for the assistance. The RHD prepared the DPP of Tk 1.49 billion last month to rehabilitate the bridge after a Malaysian company's feasibility study found the bridge's condition 'very risky' for traffic movement and recommended its immediate rehabilitation. Japan constructed the two-lane Meghna Bridge in 1991 with a 100-year longevity. Road communication between the two important cities, capital Dhaka and Chittagong Port, has been threatened since the JPZ Malaysia-HCEL survey found Meghna Bridge 'very risky' for traffic movement. It said the loading capacity of the bridge's piles has reduced considerably and the bridge has become 'very dangerous' from the perspective of longevity. The survey further stated that the expansion joints of the bridge have been damaged severely and effectiveness of the bearings has reduced and recommended that these be replaced on an urgent basis.