Dhaka-Sylhet Highway: Expansion works delay as 22 schools await relocation

At least 22 government primary schools in six districts will be affected due to the expansion of the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway, a project implemented by Roads and Highways Department (RHD).

The project authorities, throughout the past year, continued talks with local authorities to relocate the schools for the continuation of the project works.

But nothing happened, which is causing delay to the implementation of the Tk 16,918.59 crore project.

This is not the only RHD project that is facing problems in acquiring land from government agencies, on top of already existing issues regarding private lands, RHD officials said.

Amid the situation, the Road Transport and Highways Division yesterday held an inter-ministerial meeting to solve the land acquisition issues faced by the six RHD projects.

With Ehsanul Hoque, senior secretary of the division, in the chair, representatives from different ministries and divisions, including ministries of railways, agriculture, power, and finance, were present at the meeting, sources said.

However, there was no representative from the primary and mass education ministry or directorate of primary education, they said.

"The meeting was fruitful, and we hope the complexities will be over soon," RHD Chief Engineer Syed Moinul Hasan told The Daily Star after the meeting.

In February 2021, Ecnec approved the Tk 16,918.59 crore project to turn the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway into a four-lane highway with service lanes on both sides.

The project authorities have hired contractors for the job but are facing problems as they have yet to acquire most of the land, project officials said.

At least 22 primary schools will be affected by the expansion works. Of them, five schools will be affected slightly, meaning boundary wall or playground will be affected but not the educational activities, shows a project document.

However, classrooms of 17 other schools will be affected, and thus the school buildings need to be relocated, it says.

"We have talked with the upazila primary education officer and district primary education officers of these areas for over a year but to no avail," said a project official.

It was decided to hold another meeting with the officials of primary and mass education ministry and directorate of primary education, as no representatives from them were present at yesterday's meeting, meeting sources said.

The project also faced issues over acquiring land from Power Grid Company Ltd in Narsingdi and Sreehatto Economic Zone. All sides agreed to solve the problem, meeting sources also said.

Another project that is facing land-related problems is the SASEC-2 Road Connectivity Project, under which a 190km road from Tangail's Elenga to Rangpur will be turned into a four-lane highway with service roads.

The project has problems over acquiring land from Bangladesh Institute of Research and Training on Applied Nutrition in Rangpur's Pirganj upazila.

Four other projects, which were facing similar problems, are Itakhola-Mathkola-Kadiati road expansion project; Nayapara-Araihazar-Narsingdi-Raypura road expansion project; Kumargao-Badhaghat-Bimanbandar road expansion project; and Ashuganj River Port-Sarail-Dharkhar-Akhaura Land Port road expansion project.