Staff Reporter :
About 80 per cent construction work of 20.5km long Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route from Gazipur to Dhaka’s Uttara is almost completed and likely to open to traffic in June 2023.
BRT Managing Director (MD) Shafiqul Islam told journalists in Gazipur after inspecting the project on Friday.
“The overall construction work has been completed by 80 per cent at this moment. It would be possible to complete the work in time if 100 per cent capacity can be provided. We are continuing to put pressure on the basis of three aspects including bridging the gap in funds, manpower and ensuring 100 per cent work safety. Work will not be allowed to commence until the conditions are met,”
Shafiqul Islam said.
The major construction work will be completed by December 2022, he said adding that the remaining work must be completed by March 2023.
“If everything is done smoothly, we hope to open the route to public by June 2023,” he said in reply to a query.
When asked regarding the tragic crane accident in Uttara, Shafiqul Islam replied, the matter is under investigation and proper action will be taken as report.
BRT Project Director ASM Ilias Shah said that though 82 per cent of the project’s work is completed but it may not be possible to complete the remaining work by the end of the year.
Earlier A “no safety, no work” policy had been enforced and which is still complying and further measures would be taken soon in consultation with the contractors to maintain better security and safety, he said.
Moreover, if people from different local communities gave suggestions on how to provide better security in the surrounding areas, the project authorities would take them into consideration as well, Ilias Shah said.
Earlier on Friday morning, concerned officials inspected the BRT corridor with the members of the board of directors of the company in front of the Balaka office of the city’s airport area.
The Dhaka-Gazipur Highway has become almost unusable due to the construction of the 20.5km-BRT, which regularly results in long tailbacks and has created numerous potholes.
On August 15, at least five people, including children, of the same family were killed when a 150-tonne girder fell on their car from a crane during BRT project work in Uttara.
So far, nine people, including the crane driver, his assistant and the contractor’s security personnel.
The incident sparked outrage with many blaming the BRT of negligence. The project has been halted temporarily.
