Implementation delay costs Tk 96cr more

The estimated cost of a 12.5km road expansion project in Chittagong has increased about Tk 96 crore in comparison to the original one due to the delay in the project's implementation.

The expansion project, from the Oxygen intersection of the port city to Hathazari upazila of the district, was supposed to be completed by December 2013, with an estimated cost of about Tk 129.52 crore.

Later, the implementation period was extended upto June 2017 and the estimated cost of the project now stood at about Tk 226 crore, said sources at the Roads and Highways Department, Chittagong.

Bidhan Chandra Dhar, additional chief engineer of RHD, Chittagong, said complications in land acquisition process and in shifting of utility services were the main reasons behind the delay. “The cost increased as the price of land also went up during the implementation period,” he added.

The Executive Committee of National Economic Council approved the project in May 2009.

From the aspect of connectivity, the Oxygen-Hathazari section of Chittagong-Hathazari-Rangamati National Highway is a vital one. People of the city depend on this section of the road to go to various destinations such as Chittagong University, Rangamati and Khagrachhari.

The main objective of the project is to ease traffic congestion and thus make the commuting easier, added RHD sources.

The project also includes expansion of 11 and reconstruction of 13 box culverts, construction of 11,800-metre dividers, 1,387-metre retaining walls and 13,500-metre drainage and footpath, they added.

According to RHD sources, about 65 percent work of the project has been completed till October this year. “The work is going on in full swing; we'll be able to finish on time,” said Md Rashedul Alam, executive engineer of RHD, Chittagong, also the project director.

Visiting the sites recently, it was seen that different types of work like road carpeting, construction of drains, culverts and retaining walls were going on in different areas including Baro Dighirpar, Aman Bazar, Madanhat and Baluchara. 

“The cost did not increase much due to the delay in implementation, but mostly for the increase in land prices,” claimed Bidhan Chandra.