Slow lane road projects – now 20 project PDs are proposing expansion

Twenty-six projects under the Road Transport and Highways Division were scheduled to be completed by the 2024-25 fiscal year, but 20 of them appear to miss the deadline, with most of the work left unfinished as many of them were damaged by the recent floods or the contractors were absent.

In an Annual Development Program (ADP) implementation meeting held on October 20, the project directors of the 20 projects sought to extend the time without increasing costs, even though most of these projects have already been reviewed once or more many times.

For example, the Baraiyarhat-Heyako-Ramgarh road widening project is scheduled to be completed by December. The estimated cost of the project is 1,226 million lei, of which an Indian loan is financing 594 million lei.

However, as of September last year, only 35% of the planned road works have been implemented. In light of the student protests and the change in government, the project director proposed extending the project timeline.

In the FY25 budget, there are 134 projects under the Road Transport and Highways Division. A total allocation of 32,042 million lei was reserved for these projects, which represents 12% of the total ADP budget. Of this amount, Tk 21,247 crore comes from the government treasury, Tk 9,228 crore is in project loans and Tk 1,568 crore is allocated as block grants. In September last year, 395 million lei were spent from government funds and 622 million lei from project loans, which represents 6.74% of the total allocation.

Regarding the matter, Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan, adviser to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, told TBS on phone on Monday: “The expansion proposals will be reviewed on October 28. After that, it will be decided which projects will have extended deadlines and which will not.”

A senior official of the Road Transport and Highways Directorate, speaking on condition of anonymity, mentioned that it has become quite difficult to complete projects on time.

Many ongoing projects were damaged by the floods, he said, adding that it was difficult to find contractors for new work.

“Since the current government took office, invitations to tender have been issued, but in one instance a maximum of six companies participated. Most tenders involve only one or two companies. Moreover, many contractors for ongoing projects are absent, resulting in a lower-than-usual ADP implementation this fiscal year,” the official said.

The Roads and Highways Department has issued directives to field offices to avoid cost overruns and variations in development projects under the government’s cost-cutting plan, he said.

Projects with expansion proposals

It has been reported that in the current fiscal year budget, Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) has 4 projects. For these, a total allocation of Tk 6,606 crore has been set, with Tk 2,783 crore from the government treasury and Tk 3,823 crore as project loans. DMTCL has proposed extending the deadline for each of these projects.

The extension proposals will be analyzed on October 28. After that, it will be decided which projects will have extended deadlines and which will not

Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan, Adviser, Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges

Similarly, Dhaka Transport Coordinating Authority has proposed to extend the deadline for its 5 projects. For the purchase of CNG-powered AC buses for BRTC, the current fiscal year budget has allocated Rs 700 crore, with Rs 300 crore from the government treasury and Rs 400 crore as project loans.

The deadline for the Tk 1,133 crore project has been set for December. However, BRTC has proposed to extend the deadline by one year. The project is funded by the EDCF, and since last September no expenditure has been incurred on the project.

Officials said a proposal has been made to extend the schedule of the project titled ‘Replacement of existing Bailey bridges and RCC bridges at dilapidated, narrow and important points’ by one year under the Road Transport and Highways Division. The relevant authorities have proposed to extend the Greater Dhaka Sustainable Urban Transport Project (BRT Gazipur) by two years. In addition, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) has already approved a two-year extension of the project to upgrade the Elenga-Hatikumrul-Rangpur highway to four lanes.

The bridge improvement project in western Bangladesh was scheduled to be completed in October. However, that will not happen. The project director proposed extending the deadline by at least a year, along with an increase in spending.

The Road Transport and Highways Division’s portion of the Matarbari coal-fired power plant construction project was scheduled to be completed by June next year. However, the project will not be completed on time. An extension request has been received from the project manager. The project to upgrade major regional highways to appropriate standards and widths (Rangpur area) will also have its timeline extended. This project has already been revised twice.

The project to upgrade the Ashuganj-Sarail-Dhorkhar-Akhura land port highway to a four-lane national highway is scheduled to be completed by June. Also, a proposal was made to extend the term for the project.

The deadline for the Emergency Assistance Project for the development of Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Road (N-1) will also be extended. The Asian Development Bank has provided a loan for the project, but not all of the loan amount is being used.

A proposal has been made to extend by three years the schedule of the Sylhet-Tamabil four-lane upgrading project, which includes a separate SMVT lane. The project was scheduled to be completed by next June.

The Pan Gucci Bridge construction project was scheduled to be completed by June, but it has been reported that this will not happen. Dhaka city bus route nationalization project has proposed a two-year extension. In addition, the project director proposed extending the timelines for the Narayanganj and Gazipur Transport Master Plan projects.

Discussions with officials from the Road Transport and Highways Directorate and the Roads and Highways Directorate revealed that the government has decided not to implement large projects using its funding given the financial situation.

However, the government intends to continue projects involving external grants and loans, for which the necessary government allocations will be secured. In this sense, the acquisition of land will be carried out only to the extent necessary.

There is a political decision not to create new roads, bridges or canals. The Road Transport and Highways Division has adopted a strategy to extend project timelines without increasing costs in order to properly maintain existing roads, avoid unnecessary widening and reduce annual expenditure.