Padma bridge project returns 51pc of allocated fund

The Padma bridge project has surrendered about 51 per cent of its budget for fiscal year 2020-21, as it will not be possible to spend the entire amount before next June.
Sources said the country's longest infrastructure project could spend 49-per cent of the allocation in the first six months of the fiscal year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Bangladesh Bridges Authority is going to revise the deadline for completion of the 6.15-kilometre Padma Multipurpose Bridge (PMB) to June 2022 from June 2021.
Officials said Tk 50 billion was allotted this fiscal, which was earlier deemed the last year of the Tk 301.93-billion project, as it already spent Tk 242.89 billion.
In the first six months of this fiscal, only Tk 8.67 billion was spent from the allotted Tk 50 billion.
Then the budget was revised for the road-cum-rail bridge project and it got Tk 20 billion in the revised budget for the next six months.
Padma Bridge project director M Shafiqul Islam said Tk 50 billion was sought in the current fiscal year earlier deemed the project's last year.
"As the deadline is going to be extended, the whole amount is not needed this year," he told the FE at his office.
Mr Islam, however, said the revised deadline was not confirmed yet as consultants were still working on it.
Both the cabinet secretary and the minister for road transport and bridges have hinted at extension of the deadline for the bridge construction to June 2022.
Sources said the project sought Tk 29.99 billion in the revised budget for the six months to June 2021 but 25 per cent of the demand was cut because of fund constraints.
The progress in the fast-track project was recorded at 91.5 per cent.
The project suffered setbacks before and during the coronavirus pandemic.
A majority of Chinese nationals working on two major components--main bridge and river training work--left Dhaka to celebrate the new year in December 2019.
Following the lockdown declared in China, nobody could join the office for four to five months, slowing down the project work.
Sources said the project had a target to finish main bridge work by April 2022 in the present circumstances as span placement work was done by last December.
According to the progress report till December, it was possible to complete 51 per cent of the 2,917-roadway slab placement work.
It has placed 70 per cent of the 2,959 railway slabs on the two-tier bridge-rail below and road atop.
Although approach roads on both sides of the bridge were completed in 2016, river training work is still behind the schedule.
Its progress till December was recorded at 78 per cent.

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