Four-and-a-half-years project being dragged into 9 years
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A project was taken up to develop infrastructure in three districts of the country, with an implementation timeline of four-and-a-half years. But even after nine years, the work remains unfinished. Now, a proposal to revise the project is being placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
The project, titled "Rural Infrastructure Development in Madaripur, Shariatpur and Rajbari Districts," has seen both its duration and costs increase in phases. The Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives has now proposed a third revision.
According to officials of the Planning Commission, after approval from Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, the proposal will be placed at the next ECNEC meeting.
Planning Secretary S.M. Shakil Akhtar told Agamir Somoy, "After review, it has been found that the project could not be completed due to several practical reasons. Besides, only a small amount of work remains. If the revision proposal is not approved now, those works will remain incomplete."
He further said that as of last June, the cumulative physical progress of the project stood at 90.10 percent, while expenditure amounted to Tk 2,234.71 crore, meaning financial progress was accomplished by 88.96 percent.
The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) is implementing the project. Officials concerned said the project was supposed to be implemented from October 2017 to June 2022. When the work was not completed within that period, the deadline was extended by one year through the first revision. Still, the work did not finish.
Subsequently, a second revision extended the deadline by another two years, setting the new completion date as June 2025. But as the work remained incomplete even within that timeframe, the deadline was again extended by two years (without increasing costs) to June 2027.
However, there are fears that the project may not be implementable even within this extended timeframe. Hence, through a third revision, it is being extended by another year, pushing the deadline to June 2028.
At the time of the project's original approval, the sanctioned cost was Tk 1,560.15 crore. Through the first revision, the cost more than doubled to Tk 2,109.17 crore. During the second revision, the cost increased further to Tk 2,512.21 crore. Now, in the third revision, the cost is set to rise by an additional Tk 3.25 crore, bringing the total to Tk 2,515.27 crore.
Why this project for the three districts
LGED officials said that the population density of Dhaka division is higher than that of other divisions in the country. The project areas are located in the central part of the country, and this region produces various types of agricultural and non-agricultural products. As a result, its contribution to the country's GDP is significantly higher compared to other districts. The people of these districts are engaged in agricultural and non-agricultural activities, as well as various service-sector-related work. Therefore, it is expected that the development of rural infrastructure in this region will generate greater employment in Dhaka division. Additionally, it is anticipated that increased agricultural and non-agricultural production will act as a catalyst for boosting the country's GDP, as stated in the project proposal.
Under this project, 93.14 percent of Upazila roads, 80.78 percent of Union roads, and 15.83 percent of village roads in the three districts of Dhaka division—Madaripur, Shariatpur, and Rajbari—are being upgraded.
Under the project, alongside rural roads in the three districts, bridges and culverts will also be constructed and repaired.
Reasons for the project revision
As reasons for the revision, LGED has stated that the length of some roads included in the DPP (Development Project Proposal) has increased to ensure network connectivity. Additionally, due to changes in chainage, the number of some roads, bridges, and culverts listed in the DPP has increased or decreased. New roads have also been incorporated considering public importance.
At the same time, it has been informed that some roads, bridges, and culverts have been removed from the DPP because their construction has already been completed under other projects.
The revision proposal further states that the increase in the length of approach roads for eight bridges has raised the amount and cost of land acquisition. Additionally, there have been changes in tender rates.
Repeated tender invitations for some packages under the project, submission of higher bids by participating tenderers leading to cost increases, and the implementation of ongoing and proposed new schemes have also been cited as reasons for extending the project deadline.
