The site for the last station of mass rapid transit line-6 on the southern side of the city has not yet been finalised despite 40 per cent progress in its construction work, sources said.
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) still finds it difficult to finalise the site for this station due to 'non-cooperation' from the authorities concerned, they added.
DMTCL has been building a 20.10-kilometre MRT line-6 since 2016 at an estimated cost of Tk 220 billion.
It has already completed the depot land development work and made progress in all its packages to set up the corridor from Uttara to Motijheel with the target to launch the first metro rail by the end of 2021.
But problems have arisen after the Dhaka City Corporation constructed Mayor Hanif Flyover that totally damaged the first plan to complete the MRT route at Sayedabad with constructing a multimodal transport hub.
Sources said problems continued as the authority concerned failed to take the line to Sayedabad through Motijheel in several ways during the last couple of years.
The last blow came after the Bangladesh Railway (BR) decided to restrict entry of MRT line-6 from the front-side of Kamalapur Station.
But DMTCL has no option but to connect elevated MRT line-6 with the front side of Kamalapur Station from Motijheel.
After carrying out a study, it has finally selected Kamalapur as the last station.
There was a plan to build a multimodal transport hub that would allow the passengers of different modes of vehicles to choose their suitable transports under one roof.
"We had made a good progress that MRT line-6 would end at Kamalapur Railway Station. Even no increased fund would be needed," said an official.
DMTCL is still trying to find an acceptable solution in consultation with BR, he added.
However, BR has already informed all the agencies including DMTCL not to allow link of any transport projects with Kamalapur station from the front side after it took a strategic decision in support of a foreign investor to set the multimodal transport hub under public-private partnership.
According to BR, any link of transport projects from the backside of Kamalapur Railway Station would be acceptable.
Sources said DMTCL sat several times since then but in vain.
DMCTL Managing Director MAN Siddique told the FE that they are working on three options. "We will come up with a solution after discussion," he said.
He declined to make further comments as DMTCL is now working with its own consultants on those options.
Sources said the implementing agency has no option other than Kamalapur for its last station due to unavailability of land nearby.
smunima@yahoo.com