Two foreign cos set to get metro rail work

Two foreign companies are set to get the city metro rail work despite their unsatisfactory performance in implementing two important infrastructure projects, sources said.
The Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development (DMRTD) Project will sign agreements with the Sinohydro Corporation Limited and the Italian Thai Development Public Company on Wednesday on two component of the US$ 2.7 billion metro rail project.
Sources said the two companies jointly won the work on infrastructure development for the depot site at Uttara. The Italian Thai Development Public Company has also been found qualified for constructing the 10-kilometre elevated tract of the speedy railway from Uttara to Agargaon.
But both the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) and the Bangladesh Bridges Authority (BBA) faced difficulties with getting the work on the Padma Bridge river training and the Dhaka Elevated Expressway (DEE) done by the Chinese and Thai companies as they could not perform up to the requirement, it is alleged.
Earlier, the Sinohydro Corporation put the RHD in deep trouble with the Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane project.
The RHD alleged the Chinese company won the work in 2010 as the lowest bidder by placing a much lower price than the project's estimate.
As the project's 70 per cent work was awarded to the company, the RHD had to wait for two and a half years to complete the 193-kilometre highway known as the country's economic lifeline. The Sinohydro refrained from work for several months citing the reason of political disturbance and slow disbursement of fund allocation. The crisis ended following intervention of the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka.
The Italian-Thai, however, was in the limelight due to its failure to start work on the city's elevated expressway under public-private partnership. The BBA signed a contract first in 2011 but renewed it with changes in 2013. But till now, the company has failed to disclose the source of their funds as part of the PPP requirement to start the 26-km expressway work. The fate of the DEE is still uncertain.
However, official sources said since the government did not put any bar on these companies despite their unsatisfactory performance, the project office has no choice in this regard.
"Since they are found to be the lowest bidder, we are bound to select them," said an official, preferring not to be named.
He also said Japan International Cooperation Agency, the main financier of the project, has not also given any objection to the evaluation process.
The Chinese company got the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project's work amid its poor performance in the Dhaka- Chittagong four-lane project.  Despite BBA records of similar dismal performance of the company in the river training work, it was also awarded the work on the 3rd Shitalakhya bridge.
According to the project office, Sinohydro Joint Venture won the work of Package 2 against its offer of Tk 15.95 billion. The Italian Thai Development got the work on viaduct stations from Uttara north to Agargaon at a cost of Tk 42.30 billion. The depot site development work was awarded to a Japanese company last year.
smunima@yahoo.com