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Published on August 26, 2021
Padma Bridge, Payra Port and Dhaka Metro Rail-6 are among the fast-track projects nearing completion, whereas several others are witnessing a slower than expected implementation rate, according to a progress report.
The Padma Multipurpose Bridge project, the largest bridge infrastructure in Bangladesh, had financial progress of 85.74 per cent and physical progress of 87.25 per cent as of July this year, said the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) in the report.
On Monday, the Bangladesh Bridge Authority finished the installation of all road slabs, linking both sides of the river through the roadway.
The Tk 30,190 crore bridge, whose physical works started in November 2014, was scheduled to complete in June. It is now expected to open to the public in June next year.
The deadline has been extended to finish the remaining work to construct the main bridge and carry out the river training.
The physical progress of Payra Port, the third seaport in Bangladesh, stood at 82.56 per cent. The port, located in Kalapara under Patuakhali, is scheduled to be complete by June 2022.
The Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project clocked a 71.33 per cent implementation rate for its MRT-6, involving Tk 21,985 crore. The IMED called for strengthening monitoring to accelerate the execution.
One of the fast-track projects, the Maitri Super Thermal Power Plant, a joint venture of the Bangladesh Power Development Board and NTPC Ltd of India, saw physical progress of 68.85 per cent and financial progress of 69.20 per cent.
About Tk 11,071 crore out of the total project cost of Tk 16,000 crore has been spent so far. The project is building a 1,320-megawatt (MW) power plant in Rampal of Bagerhat.
Another coal-powered electricity plant with a capacity of 1,200MW is being constructed in Matarbari, Moheshkhali. The cumulative physical and financial progress of the Tk 35,984 crore project was 49 per cent.
The deadline for the project, which is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, is June 2023.
The Rooppur nuclear power plant, backed by Russia, recorded a progress of 37.99 per cent.
The government has allocated Tk 18,426 crore for the project from the annual development programme (ADP) in the current fiscal year. The project, set to be constructed by 2025, will cost Tk 113,092 crore.
The IMED, which visited the project in March this year, has recommended accelerating the expenditure of the portion of the government and becoming more tactful and agile in formulating annual work plans and procurement plans with a view to speeding up its implementation.
The Dohazari-Cox's Bazar-Gundum rail line posted 32.22 per cent financial progress and 61 per cent physical progress as of July.
The IMED suggested placing the highest importance on completing the project by June 2022.
The Padma Bridge Rail Link project had 46.64 per cent financial progress and 43 per cent physical progress.
The IMED report said the Chinese and local workers were working in full swing despite the coronavirus pandemic. It asked the Bangladesh Railway, the implementing agency, to formulate month-wise work plans and implement them accordingly.
The MRT Line-1, running from Shah Jalal International Airport to Kamalapur, attained progress of 1.5 per cent for the Tk 52,561 crore project. The deadline is December 2026.
The achievement is 3.11 per cent of the Tk 41,238 crore MRT-5 project, which runs from Hemayetput to Bhatara in the capital, as the implementing agency, state-run Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd, managed to spend Tk 1,281 crore as of July.
The total cost is Tk 41,238 crore, and the deadline is 2028.
The MRT-6 from Uttara Third Phase to Motijheel recorded 71.33 per cent financial progress as of July.
Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority is implementing the project at Tk 21,985 crore. It has spent Tk 15,683 crore so far.
The overall implementation progress of the mega projects is 57.56 per cent, said Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in his budget speech in June.
Tk 51,321 crore has been allocated to 14 mega projects, which included the fast-track projects that accounted for 22.8 per cent of the ADP in FY22.
Eight out of 14 mega projects are scheduled to be completed in FY22. But none of these projects has received the required allocation for completion in FY22, not even the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project, said the Centre for Policy Dialogue in a paper in June.
Source: The Daily Star
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