Staff structure outstrips maiden metro outfit

A 1909-strong organogram has been approved for the country's maiden metro-rail company, which is seen bigger by any available standards, including that of India.
Sources said per-kilometre manpower for the 20-kilometre metro rail has been approved to be 95.45 against average 30-35.
It is learnt that per-km manpower for Delhi Metro is below 40, and in Japan it is 30.
Officials said the Board of Directors of Dhaka Mass Transit Company (DMRT) Ltd approved the organogram on December 28 with 1,017 staff members of its own and 892 to be hired through outsourcing.
They said consultant of the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (DMRTDP) proposed the organogram last year and the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges (MoRTB) finalised it after scrutinising different posts and ranks before the approval of the DMTC Board.
"The DMTC organogram is prepared to make the cent-percent government-owned metro-rail company functional, which will eventually be responsible for running over 100km MRTs in the city in next 20 years," said one official.
He, however, said initial organogram has been proposed for the 20-kilometre metro rail known as Mass Rapid Transit Line-06 to be set up from Uttara to Motijheel.
DMTC is the administrative body for implementation of the DMRTDP. Initially, DMTC, constituted by an order from the Home Cabinet dated 21 Jan 2013, with a capital of Tk 100 billion, is now serving as the Project Implementation Unit of the Dhaka Metro Rail projects.
The Road Division of the MoRTB owns 98.8 per cent of shares, and the balance is owned equally by the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA), the Prime Minister's Office, and Finance, Rail, Home and Local Government ministries.
According to the approved organogram, the DMRT Company headquarters will have 133 own staff members and 68 from outsourcing. Another 884 staffers will also be employed for operation and maintenance work of the metro.
Another 824 people will also be hired for the same purpose through outsourcing.
It will be running through two parts -- headquarters and operation and maintenance.
Among the proposed various posts, national-and international- level experts of various disciplines, mainly mechanical, electrical and computer, will also be hired, officials added.
Sources said though safety and security of the costly and sophisticated transit system needs extra measures, the DMTC recommends carrying out the work through existing law- enforcing agencies.
Being the MRT a KPI area, safety and security issues will be the government's responsibility to ensure through central police.
Though the consultants recommended keeping development section in the DMTC, it was cut during the scrutiny. More than six tires were proposed in different posts.
Project Director Mofazzel Hossain, however, told the FE over phone that organogram of all metro rails is proposed with more manpower at initial stages which is later adjusted with the increase in routes.
"As five more metro rails are now on the cards, it would be adjusted in coming years," he said to justify the overstaffing.
The government under the revised strategic transport plan proposed five MRTs in the city's north-south and east-west corridors of which only one - MRT-6-is now under implementation stage.
It is said each of the MRTs will be able to transport 60,000 commuters an hour a corridor.
DTCA has already started conducting feasibility study on two other metros - MRT-1 and MRT-5--which are to establish link from Airport to Kamalapur and Gabtali to Rampura.
All these MRTs will be run through the DMTC with full authoritarian of the board of directors.
    smunima@yahoo.com