An inter-ministerial meeting concluded on Sunday without finalising the spots for setting up metro-rail construction yards, which is an important component to start construction of the mass rapid transit (MRT) system next year.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges called the meeting, being failed to convince the authorities concerned to provide necessary lands for the construction yards in the capital.
Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary M A N Siddique chaired it.
Representatives from Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhya (RAJUK), Public Works Department (PWD), Bangladesh Railway (BR) and Local Government Department (LGD) attended it.
Last year Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development (DMRTD) Project sought five spots from RAJUK, PWD, BR and LGD to finalise the project's tender documents.
The officials said during the meeting PWD agreed to provide required land, considering the importance of MRT in reducing traffic jam in the capital. But, RAJUK and BR did not cooperate with the project office in this regard.
In the inter-ministerial meeting the project officials focused on importance of the construction yards. But they did not get confirmation about getting the required lands from these agencies.
"We need one hectare of land for per kilometer metro-rail construction. But it is hard to get required lands in the congested city," said an official after attending the meeting.
He, however, termed the meeting somewhat fruitful, saying RAJUK, which has so far refused to cooperate, has offered the project an alternative land for construction yard. The organisation has offered the land on southern side of the MRT line-6 depot in Uttara 3rd phase.
The meeting decided to send a joint team to the RAJUK's offered land for verifying and finalising it.
DMRTD project earlier sought 15 hectares of land, shown as central business district and central plaza, from RAJUK's Uttara 3rd phase.
The project office also sought 10 hectares of land close to Rayer Bazar Martyred Intellectuals Memorial from Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).
Officials said DNCC did not refuse to provide the land, but requested the project office to find an alternative first.
DMRTD project has already called tender for depot land development work, metro-rail and electronic equipment purchase etc.
It has already called tender for the first half of the 20-km MRT corridor. But it is yet to call tender for constructing the other 10-km MRT line due to not finalisation of the construction yards.
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