Faridpur-Magura Rail Link: Poor monitoring to blame for slow pace

After observing the slow pace of a project under which rail tracks are being laid on a 19km stretch between Faridpur and Magura, a report prepared by a government body has accused the railway authorities of serious lacking in their monitoring.

The revised deadline for the project is June 2024, but it has seen around 40 percent progress so far, indicating that there is little chance it would be completed on schedule.

The long delay in land acquisition is also hindering the implementation of the Tk 1,202.49-crore project, the report said.

The in-depth monitoring report of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) recommended preparing a time-bound action plan and ensuring proper monitoring and reinforcement.

The project authorities said the contractors have slowed down the work over their unmet demand for adjusting the price of construction materials following the sharp hike in the global market.

Project Director Ashadul Haque told The Daily Star yesterday that they have already written to the authorities concerned to solve the issue.

In May 2018, the government approved the project for constructing a rail line from Faridpur's Madhukhali to Magura even before carrying out a feasibility study.

The project was supposed to be completed within April 2022. But its physical work started in June last year, as the authorities had to finish a feasibility study and a detailed design before beginning the physical work.

Later, the project deadline was extended to June 2024.

Bangladesh Railway appointed two China-Bangladesh joint venture companies as contractors.

The project saw a 41.37 percent progress till this June, which is only a 3.85 percent rise from June last year, shows BR's monthly progress report.

IMED, which published the report recently, also said 20 meetings of Project Implementation Committee (PIC) and Project Steering Committee (PSC) were supposed to be held in the last five years, but only six were held.

"There is a weakness on the part of Bangladesh Railway and the Railways Ministry in project monitoring," reads the report.

"PIC, PSC, Bangladesh Railway and the Railways Ministry should have taken the cost management issues seriously," it added.

Asked about the matter, PD Ashadul admitted that the project could not make the expected progress.

He said following the decision of the PSC, they wrote to Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) seeking its opinion regarding contractors' demand to adjust material prices, but the CPTU has not responded yet.

The IMED report said 112 acres of land would have to be acquired in Magura for laying an 11km rail line there, but the land acquisition work saw no major progress there.

BR sources said the project authorities have handed over Tk 155 crore and Tk 40.21 crore to Magura and Faridpur district administrations for land acquisition.

However, it was later discovered that Magura actually required Tk 114 crore, while Faridpur needed Tk 80 crore.

As a result, Magura needs to send back Tk 40.22 crore to the Faridpur district administration.

The mismatch in fund allocation is also causing a delay in land acquisition.

Asked about IMED's allegation of poor monitoring, the PD said the organisation might mean the delay in settling the contractors' price adjustment claim, but it is not possible to solve the problem by the railways authorities alone.

Several government agencies are involved and it will take time, he added.