The expansion work of the Dhaka-Sylhet highway has been severely hampered due to long delays in land acquisition and the moving of utility lines.

The project authority has already hired contractors for all 13 packages but could not hand over the land, leading to the contractors claiming compensations and time extensions.

The Sylhet-Tamabil expansion project is about to face a similar fate, creating grounds for time and cost escalation.

The road expansion works are facing obstacles because a separate project launched five years ago to acquire land failed to hand over the land.

The two projects involve around Tk 20,500 crore.

Dhaka-Sylhet-Tamabil road corridor is a part of the Asian Highway-1, which plans to link India's Meghalaya and West Bengal to Bangladesh through Tamabil-Sylhet-Kanchpur-Dhaka-Jashore-Benapole.

Their expansion works are facing obstacles because a separate project launched five years ago to acquire land failed to hand over the land.  

Roads and Highways Department sources said apart from land acquisition being a complex and sensitive process, a lack of sincerity among a section of officials at the local administration was allegedly responsible for the delays.

Road Transport and Highways Division's Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri on Thursday held a meeting to untangle the mess.

The meeting, attended by officials of seven district administrations, among others, set different deadlines for completing their work, meeting sources said.

Usually, land acquisition and the moving of utility lines and pipes are part of the infrastructure protect.

But RHD in September 2018 took up the separate project, involving Tk 3,586.04 crore, to acquire land and move the utility services by December 2020, to make room for Dhaka-Sylhet-Tamabil road expansion.

The aim was to complete the legwork ahead as these issues often hold up road expansion work. The government wanted the road expanded as soon as the expansion projects were approved.

Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) in September 2020 approved a Tk 3,586.04 crore-project for turning 56.16km of the Sylhet-Tamabil Highway into four lanes, with service lanes of both sides. The project's deadline is June 2025.

In February 2021, Ecnec approved the Tk 16,918.59 crore Dhaka-Sylhet expansion project to turn the 209km road from Narayanganj's Kanchpur to Sylhet into four lanes, with service lines on both sides. The project's deadline is December 2026.

While the expansion projects moved forward, the land acquisition project was revised twice, taking the cost to Tk 7,975.31 crore and the deadline to December 2025.

Project sources said 66 land acquisition (LA) proposals were submitted to acquire 829.83 acres of land in seven districts for the Dhaka-Sylhet highway expansion.

But only the documents of around 60 acres of land under four LA proposals have so far been handed over to the project authorities, officials said.

The authorities could not take control of the land as the local administrations are yet to compensate the land owners, they said.

As this is an ADB-funded project, the project authorities would not be able to use the land unless owners receive full compensation, the sources said, adding that there were structures on the land as well.

AK Mohammad Fazlul Karim, project director of Dhaka-Sylhet highway expansion, said they have hired contractors for all 13 packages.

As per the conditions, they were supposed to handover the land to contractors within 270 days of signing of the contracts, he said.

Four of the contractors have already sought financial compensation for their unused equipment and manpower; and asked for deadline extensions, he told The Daily Star over phone.

Another project official, seeking anonymity, said, "The delay is making it very difficult to complete the project within the deadline. A deadline extension will ultimately increase cost."

Replying to a question, the official said their contractors were now working on a limited scale on the land under the RHD's possession.

Meanwhile, 30 LA proposals were submitted to acquire 335.77 acres of land in Sylhet district for the Sylhet-Tamabil road expansion.

No land was handed over to the project authorities, officials said.

Contacted, Project Director Abu Sayeed Md Nazmul Huda said they would implement the project under four packages.

They have already hired a China-Bangladesh joint venture firm for one package and the proposals to hire contractors, for two other packages, will soon be sent to the cabinet committee on government purchase, he said.

He added that the joint venture firm already mobilised their equipment and manpower, and will start work within a week on the land under the RHD's possession.

"The delay in land acquisition will ultimately cause a delay in implementation," he told The Daily Star yesterday.

An RHD official, not involved in these projects, said it may take one year or two for the land acquisition to finish. "But over two years is unacceptable. So, there's definitely lack of sincerity among some local administration officials."

He said there should have clear timeline to complete the entire procedure of land acquisition and local administration must follow the time to stop delay in the process, which is a common phenomenon of major infrastructure projects.

Contacted, land acquisition Project Director Fazle Rabbe, said land acquisition is a complicated process and sensitive matter.

"We have to follow all relevant laws and procedures so that no one is deprived," Fazle, also an additional chief engineer (Sylhet zone) of the RHD, told The Daily Star yesterday.

Replying to question, he said, "Nobody is causing delays intentionally. There is no negligence from any side .... We're all trying our best."