Even though 12 years have passed, work on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Dhaka has not been finished yet. The authority concerned is now planning to extend the project’s tenure by two more years.
The project taken up in 2012 to reduce traffic congestion at the intersection of Dhaka Airport and Gazipur was scheduled to be completed by this December. Although the project was undertaken to bring relief to bus passengers on this route, they are still facing severe traffic congestion.
The implementing company claims that during the recent student-people movement, looting and arson caused at least Tk 100 crore in damage to the project.
However, Road Transport and Bridges Adviser Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan has directed the authority concerned to finish the project by this year. But project sources said that it would not be possible to complete the project by this year despite directives by the adviser.
It is learnt that the project cost was estimated at 2 thousand 39 crore 84 lakh 89 thousand taka. The project cost stands at 4 thousand 268 crore 32 lakh 43 thousand taka by increasing the allocation of money several times. Asian Development Bank (ADB), Agence France de Development (AFD) and Global Environment Facility (GEF) are financing the project.
Md Mohiuddin, General Manager of Dhaka BRT Company Limited (supervision authority), told the Bangladesh Post, "BRT is renowned for passenger transportation worldwide. People here are receiving inaccurate information about the initiative as a result of numerous issues with our project."
Md Moniruzzaman, Managing Director of Dhaka BRT Company, stated: "The project's duration was until December 2024. The process of extending the tenure by two more years is currently in progress. Our main BRT corridor's construction is nearly complete. We have now decided to procure buses on our own initiative. The buses will be included to the fleet. BRT service will be launched soon."
Project Director Elias Shah told Bangladesh Post that 93 percent of the project's work has already been finished.
The 20.5-kilometre project was undertaken to ease traffic congestion on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, according to project sources. The project was approved at the ECNEC meeting on December 1, 2012 following the completion of the preliminary feasibility study in 2011. At that time, the project was set to conclude in December 2016. But the four-year period ended shortly after the design and tendering work was finished. The project's construction later began in 2017.
It is known that the project's officials are referring to it as "a sick project" or a rough project because of significant flaws in the plan. The two Chinese contractors (Jiangsu Provincial Transportation Engineering Group Co Ltd and China Gezhouba Group Company Limited) were allegedly unable to provide required funding for the construction work at the start of the project. Later, the work began with cash advance from the lending agencies.
Sources said that even though there is no fund crisis at present, the project is now in limbo due to arson and looting of damaged construction materials during the movement from July 18 to 20 this year. Only if these materials are imported again, the construction work will resume.
An official of Dhaka BRT Company told Bangladesh Post that various parts of the infrastructure on the 20-kilometre-long corridor, including the under-construction bus station were damaged. Among them, two elevators, two generators, water lines and utility connections were also destroyed by the fire. Around the 100-square-metre perimeter of the corridor has been damaged. Various specialised vehicles used in the construction work were also vandalized and set on fire.
Apart from this, 1,100 square metres of wall tiles, 2,000 square metres of SS railings, 2,500 square metres of sheds, 600 metres of pipes, four welding machines, two water tanks, two excavators, two road cutting machines, and other structures and expensive equipment were damaged.
The official of the BRT company also said that 38 escalators out of total 57 were affected at that time. Of these, 29 have been completely damaged, causing financial loss of more than Tk 55 crore. Apart from this, some equipment and materials left by the bridge authority on the project site were also damaged, including six escalators. Each of these escalators cost $67,000.
"These construction materials were imported at the time when the dollar exchange rate was Tk 80. Now they have to be bought at the rate of Tk 120," Amin Ullah Noori, then road secretary, told reporters. Thus, it will take time, and the price has increased as well, he added.
Dr. Md. Shamsul Hoque, professor at BUET and an expert in communication, told the Bangladesh Post that since the BRT corridor partially opened to traffic, local commuters got some respite from traffic jam. However, this BRT project has set a record for time and cost overruns.
Dr. Md. Moniruzzaman, Managing Director of Dhaka BRT Company Limited, told Bangladesh Post: "The project's contractor has calculated the damage. We have provided the Ministry and other pertinent authorities with this computation. Necessary steps will be taken shortly.” In order to begin the project, they have already written to the ministry, he added.
