Rupganj Correspondent: The newly inaugurated Purbachal Expressway, a project that cost the nation over Tk 10,000 crore, is set to be partially torn up only a short time after its completion to make way for the MRT Line-1 Metrorail project. This move has drawn sharp criticism from urban experts, who label it a "shining example of unplanned development" and an "unforgivable crime" leading to a massive waste of public money.
The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) plans to construct an elevated railway line from Nadda to Rupganj over this very expressway, with seven stations planned along the route. While the Metrorail authority has stated it will primarily use the central median for pillars and stations, project officials have admitted that certain sections of the road will inevitably be damaged and require subsequent repair.
This incident is the latest in a series of costly missteps for the Purbachal Expressway, originally known as the Purbachal Suburban Road. Since its approval in 2005, the project has been plagued by planning errors. Initially designed as an eight-lane road, it was scaled down to four lanes in 2013 due to fund constraints, costing around Tk 276 crore. Soon after its near-completion, the decision was reversed, leading to the demolition of the four-lane road to build the current eight-lane expressway with service roads and canals. This single change caused the project cost to balloon from an initial Tk 5,286 crore to a staggering Tk 10,330 crore, with some estimates placing the final cost as high as Tk 14,000 crore.
Experts Decry "Unforgivable Crime" and Lack of Coordination
Prominent experts have strongly condemned the recurring cycle of construction and demolition. "Inaugurating one project and simultaneously starting the demolition for another on the same route is an unforgivable crime in the 21st century," said Prof. Shamsul Haque, an urban planner from BUET. He termed the entire process a colossal waste of public money and manpower, estimating a loss of approximately Tk 524 crore due to this lack of foresight.
Echoing these concerns, TNCC Chief Engineer Brigadier General Md. Mohsin Uddin suggested an alternative. "If the metro rail had been made underground, the iconic infrastructure of Purbachal could have been saved," he stated, adding that the cost of cutting and repairing the road would be comparable to building an underground line, a method being used from the airport to Kamalapur.
Authority's Response and Lingering Concerns
When contacted, DMTCL Managing Director Kaiqubad Ahmed said the project design is still under review. "We are considering an alternative alignment where the need to break the road by passing on the left side will be less," he mentioned, assuring that any damaged sections would be repaired and that a cost-benefit analysis is underway.
However, experts remain worried about further collateral damage. They fear that the Metrorail construction will severely damage the reservoirs and drainage systems around the 300-foot road, leading to more problems and costs.
With the planned Metrorail work, the Purbachal Expressway is on track to become a textbook case of uncoordinated and wasteful infrastructure planning, squandering thousands of crores of taka of state funds.
