Work delay to raise cost by Tk 288cr

The Chittagong City Corporation is yet to begin the excavation work of a 3-km canal from Chittagong's Bahaddarhat to the Karnaphuli River, supposed to be completed by June this year to mitigate the city's waterlogging crisis.

As a result, the project cost also went up by Tk 288.41 crore.

The CCC recently made a Revised Development Project Proposal (RDPP), seeking two more years to complete the project. As per the RDDP, the Tk 326.84 crore project, approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council on June 24, 2014, will now cost Tk 615.25 crore.

It now awaits the approval of the planning ministry. According to the Chittagong City Corporation sources, complications in land acquisition process and fund shortage are one of the major reasons behind the delay.

The project initially had allocated Tk 224.16 crore for land acquisition whereas the RDPP now has Tk 374.85 crore, said CCC sources.

The CCC undertook the project to dig up the canal from Baroipara to the Karnaphuli following the recommendations of Chittagong Drainage Master Plan 1995 for digging up three canals. This was supposed to be the first of the three canals recommended for excavation.

Some 25 acres of land is needed to build the 65-foot-wide canal, which will have a 20-foot-wide road on both sides, the sources added.

The government was supposed to provide about Tk 245.13 crore for the project while the rest would come from the CCC's funds.

But the CCC has got only Tk 63.75 crore from the government so far, said CCC officials. They bought some equipment for the project with a portion of the money.

CCC Chief Engineer Lt Col Mohiuddin Ahamed said due to the increase in land prices, the cost of the project went up. 

He said Tk 90 crore has been allocated for the project in the last budget. They would start the project once they get the allocated money, he said