THE Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has proposed Tk 848.62 million funds for consultancy services to construct a 320-metre steel arch bridge over the Brahmaputra River in Mymensingh. Besides, the state road developer has also proposed purchasing 13 vehicles, including six of luxury category, and pickups for building the bridge at Kewatkhali, as per local reports.
The RHD has recently taken up a Tk 27.94 billion project for constructing 320 metre-bridge with an 870m viaduct and sent it to the Planning Commission for its approval. The Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) of the commission has asked the RHD to rationalise the cost of the project.
It is unfortunate that the RHD has no consideration for the use of public funds — especially when the funds are borrowed .The expenditure looks so bad that even the PEC wants the RHD to cut costs. It beggars the imagination as to how the RHD can go for non-essential expenditures in a pandemic situation given that the overall economic situation of the country is not good.
Unfortunately the RHD is not known for lowering costs. While India and China are able to make roads at costs of 9-13 crore per kilometre for four lane highways our expenditure is completely off the charts. Our cheapest highway built — the 192 km Dhaka-Chattogram four-lane upgrade project cost was Tk 19.73 crore per kilometre — roughly double that of India’s average. Meanwhile certain highways like the Dhaka-Mawa one cost Tk 117 crore per km on completion — even allowing for the completion of other work, it’s still too much.
The RHD spends almost double on average what European countries spend–and for what? Most construction firms having political link and clout rarely ensure quality road construction for lack of proper monitoring by the government authorities concerned. Government engineers must be present to ensure quality during the construction work on roads, but they remain absent in most cases.
Besides, the roads are not properly maintained after construction. If any small hole is created on any road it’s not fixed immediately. The authorities concerned wait for repair until the most parts of the road get damaged. We should come out of such practice as it increases the maintenance cost. The road construction cost will come down if the projects are implemented timely without extending their deadlines.
