THE impasse over the financing of the Dhaka-Sylhet four-lane project is now over as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has given its consent to provide fund for the project, aimed at making the highway suitable for regional connectivity as well as cross-border and regional trade. The highway will also have two more lanes on its both sides for slow-moving vehicles.
A news report on Sunday said that the Tk 17,611.93 crore four-lane project, likely to begin in January next, would be implemented with the ADB loan in six years (2021-2026). Of the total amount, the ADB will provide Tk 13611.64 crore loan while the Bangladesh government will give Tk 3550.28 crore from its own fund. Allocation of Tk 325 crore has also been made for consultancy firm services.
Currently, the narrow highway in dilapidated state at many places is dangerously exposing traffic to possible accidents. For this reason, as well as greater movement of traffic due to increased industralisation in Sylhet region, the need for upgrading the highway has been given a priority. According to insiders, the project would further facilitate trade with India’s seven-sister states and cross connectivity with China, Myanmar and Bhutan.
Mentionable, the government had earlier planned to implement the 266-km long Dhaka-Sylhet Highway project with a Chinese company but later dropped it following failed negotiations with the company. Besides, there was also an allegation against the Chinese company of offering bribe to a top government official to green light the work at an inflated cost.
It is alleged that the government has planned to expand the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway into four-lane without keeping adequate overpasses and underpasses, which may reduce the service and productivity of the road. Although the consultant had laid out the design keeping 23 overpasses/flyovers on each of the major intersections of the highway, the government has been brought down the number to only six “due to fund constraint”.
Failure in completing development projects in time and within budget has for long impacted the economy as delayed implementation also adds the project costs. At the same time delay in project implementation means not delivering the expected benefits to the public and adding to their sufferings. Realising that the delayed implementation has manifold burden, we hope the government must work to implement this Dhaka-Sylhet four-lane highway project in time.
