Ousted Awami League government has looted millions of taka by increasing the duration and cost of various development projects in the road and communication sector across the country. Many projects remain unfinished even after the deadline. In addition, common people have been suffering for a long time in the name of project implementation.   

It has been alleged that hundreds of unnecessary and less necessary projects have been undertaken in the road transport and communication sector across the country during the Awami League government. Thousands of crores of taka have been looted by increasing the duration of the implementation and cost of all the projects.

On the other hand, Road Transport and Bridges Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan on Tuesday told the visiting World Bank delegation that the last government (Awami League) took up hundreds of projects for their needs and non-requirements. They have taken many expensive projects, but these projects are not financially successful.

According to the investigation, the duration of the much-discussed 15 projects under the Awami League government has been extended and the expenditure has almost doubled. The main cost of these 15 projects was Tk 77,000 crores. The expenditure later has increased to 1.37 lakh crore due to overvaluation. In this way, in almost every development project, the duration and cost have been increased and lakhs of taka have been looted.

Experts in the road transport sector said that if the project was properly prepared and implemented with a time-based action plan, then additional money should not be incurred. It is a great waste to the nation.  At the same time, the country and the nation are being deprived of the benefits they should get after the project completion in due time. People’s sufferings have also increased for this reason. For example, the construction Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project from the Airport to Gazipur can be mentioned. BRT is a Gazipur-Airport (Greater Dhaka Sustainable Urban Transport Project) project. The project is now taking 12 years to implement this four-year project, which has been gradually extended. The latest period has been extended till December 2024. The original approved budget of the project was Tk 2039.84 crore. The expenditure increased to Tk 4,268.32 crore through the second revision. As a result, an additional Tk 2,228.48 crore is going to this project. 

The overestimated projects included Padma Bridge, Karnaphuli Tunnel, Support to Dhaka Elevated Expressway PPP Project, rail link on Padma Bridge and construction of rail track to Dohazari-Ramu-Gundum, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Khulna- Mongla railway construction, upgradation of Elenga-Hatikumrul-Rangpur highway to four lanes, construction of Chattogram city outer ring road, and Khulna shipyard road widening project etc.

Sources said the Padma Multipurpose Bridge construction project was planned to be implemented between July 2007 and June 2015. The original approved cost of the project was Tk 10 thousand 161 crore 75 lakh. However, the project stumbled at the beginning due to various complications, including withdrawing from World Bank financing. Later, the cost of the first revision was estimated at Tk 20 thousand 507 crore 20 lakh with a goal to implement the project between January 2009 and December 2015 by the government's own financing. 

The latest extension of the project was till June 2024. The expenditure has increased to Tk 32 thousand 605 crore 52 lakh. Compared to the original allocation, the expenditure of the project has increased by Tk 22 thousand 443 crores 77 lakh, which is more than three times.

In 2011, the government has taken the 'Chittagong City Outer Ring Road' project. Even after an era passed, the work was not finished. Due to the increase in expenditure in the fourth phase, the cost of the project stood at Tk 2.675.96 crore from Tk 856.28 crore. The additional expenditure of the project is Tk 1,819.68 crore which is more than three times the original cost.   

The interim government has already started reducing the cost of the ongoing development activities across the country. The Planning Ministry has already sent back 13 development proposals from several ministries. About Tk 1000 crore allotted for MPs has already been saved due to the dissolution of the Parliament. Alternative financing of mega infrastructures is also being considered. The development budget is going to be cut due to rational reasons to save money.

Projects sent back by the Planning Ministry included rail and road bridge at Kalurghat, Rangpur City Corporation road development and the acquisition of land to construct the Faridpur-Barisal-Kuakata four lanes highway. Besides, the cost of Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Highway Improvement Project, Chattogram-Dohazari Dual Gauge Railway and Metrorail Line-1 and five other projects are being scrutinized.  

About reducing the cost of the projects, Planning and Education Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud has recently said former lawmakers had taken numerous projects for their constituencies. Many of these are still underway. Many are waiting to go to ECNEC. These projects are being evaluated whether they have priority or not and how much benefit these will bring. Low-priority projects are being cut.

There are allegations that the cost of road development in Bangladesh is very high. According to the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), the construction of a four-lane road will cost Tk 12-15 crore per kilometre. In India, the cost per kilometer is Tk 10 crore while Tk 10-12 crore in China and Tk 30 crore in Europe.    

According to a World Bank study, Bangladesh spends more money per kilometre on road construction than neighbouring India and China. It blamed high levels of corruption, late completion of work and lack of competition in the tender process for the additional cost.  

The construction cost of the Dhaka-Chattogram highway, which was completed in 2016, was Tk 21 crore per kilometre. Tk 55 crore per kilometer was spent on the construction of the four-lane road from Hatikumrul to Rangpur. Tk 22 crore per kilometer was spent for the Jatrabari-Kanchpur highway from four lanes to eight lanes upgradation. The Dhaka-Sylhet four-lane project has been undertaken at an incredible cost. To convert this two-lane highway into four lanes, the cost per kilometre is estimated at Tk 80 crore. So far, the most expensive road in Bangladesh is the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Expressway. The construction cost per kilometre road was Tk 200.80 crore.   

BUET professor Dr Shamsul Hoque said according to various surveys of creditor countries, the cost of road construction in Bangladesh is higher than in other countries. This has a few reasons. There is a significant lack of capacity among those who estimate the project and those who evaluate the project.   The lowest bidder is not found unless there is a competitive tender. This is especially applicable for G2G projects. As a result, the tender price is deposited as the estimated price. They don't go lower than the estimated price. And a lot of expenses including consultants are spent on our road projects. The high cost of land is also one of the reasons for the increase in project cost.

@ The article was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on September 12, 2024, and has been rewritten in English by Golam Rosul.