Land uncertainty hangs over Dhaka North U-loop project

FE Team | Published: January 06, 2018 21:24:15

The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has yet to get clearance to use land of other agencies, which has thrown the project to set up 11 U-loops at the key points of the street from Saatrasta to Uttara into doubt, reports bdnews24.com.
Hasibur Rahman Shaheen, Managing Director of the project's contractor SM Constructions, has said that they are working at two of the 11 sites, one in front of the RAB-1 offices in Uttara and the other at Rajlokkhi near Jasimuddin Road, also in Uttara.
"The Roads and Highways Department is creating different obstacles to work," he said.
The DNCC itself has doubts over the future of the project.
Late mayor Annisul Huq initiated the project two years ago at an estimated cost of around Tk 250 million with an aim to ease traffic congestions in the capital.
The plan was to set up the U-loops at Saatrasta, Kohinoor Chemical intersection, Mohakhali Bus Terminal, Mohakhali Flyover, Banani Chairmanbari, Banani Graveyard, Banani Overpass, Shewra, Kaola, in front of Uttara RAB-1 offices, and near Jasimuddin Road.
On Thursday, no-one of the contractors was seen at Saatrasta, Tejgaon, Mohakjhali and Banani areas while work was under way in Uttara.
Project Director Md Mahbub Alam said he had asked the contractor to stop work.
"We are yet to get the land cleared. It is not certain either when we will get the clearance. I've asked the contractor to stop work because it may create complexities over billing," he said.
The DNCC needs 1.36-acre land of RHD, 0.22 acres of Bangladesh Railway, 0.09 acres of Land Record and Survey Department and 0.06 acres of National Housing Authority to set up the U-loops.
Md Osman Gani, who heads the DNCC mayoral panel, said these government agencies had not objected to the project when it had been initiated but they are creating problems now.
"When Annisul Huq was here, they told us that we will be able to use their land. Then we completed the procedures to implement the project and the contractor started the job after getting work order," he said.
"Now they are saying that we will have to buy the land. But we don't have enough fund," he added.
Osman said they have written to the RHD secretary describing the situation.
"But they are apparently not giving any positive response," he said.
The DNCC on November 30 last year sent another letter to the LGRD secretary over the complexities in completing the project. Roads Secretary Md Nazrul Islam said he had asked DNCC CEO Mesbahul Islam to make a new proposal to set up the U-loops.
"We will have a look if they send a new proposal. But the RHD did not ask them to buy the land. Maybe they asked for compensation," he said.
The estimated cost of the project is Tk 248.3 million. The government is providing Tk 198.64 million while the city corporation will fund the remaining Tk 49.66 million.
The DNCC sent the U-loop project for approval to the Planning Commission by the end of November 2016.
It proposed to start the work by December that year and complete it by June last year, but the commission approved it in March last year.
Later, the Local Government Division approved an extension of the project until June 2018 at the city corporation's insistence. The DNCC then gave the work order to the contractor on Oct 29 last year.
After the start of the work in November, uncertainty arose over the project getting done in due time.
Now the fate of entire project hangs in the balance with no clearance forthcoming for the last two months.