THE 20km Dhaka-Gazipur Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), scheduled to begin in June, will be at least 50 percent costlier due to four years delay in starting the project, as reported by a national daily. The first ever fast bus transit (BRT line-3) if implemented will facilitate movement of 40,000 people between Dhaka Airport and Gazipur every hour. The design and the operation plan were finalised in December last year. As ten international companies submitted bids for the construction job, the government sent the documents to the ADB headquarters for evaluating the companies’ eligibility. The project is expected to cut down travel time by at least half. The project aiming at speedy bus connectivity between the two cities was taken without studying its economic and social viabilities and government agencies’ implementation capacity. It has thus wasted huge money. During this time prices of construction materials have increased manifold and project related other costs have also thrived. Experts suggest that the Ministry and Division concerned should prioritize the projects and ensure whether the project is viable or not before crafting any plan.In 2012, the expenditure on the 20km route was estimated at Tk 2,040 crore, which has gone up by at least Tk 1,000 crore. The project work was supposed to begin in December 2014 and end in 2016, but the revised deadline has been set for 2018. If the payment for consultancy for the extended period, staff salaries, and other expenditures are included, the project cost would stand between Tk 3,500-4,000 crore. Officials excused the delays showing a lack of experience and inadequate knowledge about such infrastructure as the reasons behind the delay. The delay has simply compounded the cost at a much higher level.While the authorities are facing challenges in implementing BRT and Metro Rail, the Bridges Division has suddenly come up with a rather ambitious project to construct four subways. The subway project is not even on the list of the next 20 years’ revised strategic transport plan. Officials said all these projects were taken up without proper study which is causing delay in their implementation. In the mega projects, there are huge opportunities of committing big corruption, and the cost overrun and unusual delay of project completion swell the accounts of project officials. As the ways of making officials accountable are basically nonexistent and parliamentarians are not attentive in ensuring accountability due to their alleged covert linkage with projects, civil society, and the general people should raise voice against mega corruption.To stop money laundering and maximizing socio-economic benefits, the works should end soon, but government appears reluctant. Due to inefficiency of the government, the people are forced to bear the additional burdens of the project cost. We don’t want the mega project to appear as a mega failure.
