RAJDHANI Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) has once again sought time extension to complete its ongoing ‘Gulshan-Banani-Baridhara Lake Development’ project since the work of the project suffered a setback for several reasons, including repeated interventions by the land grabbers. After failing to make significant headway in executing the development project in the last six years, Rajuk now proposes implementation tenure of the project up to June 2023 revising a 1091 per cent the escalation in its cost. The Tk 410.25 crore project will be Tk 4,886.11 crore. Tenure of the project has already been extended four times without increasing the cost since it launched in 2010.
The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) had approved the project undertaken by Rajuk with an estimated cost of Tk 410 crore and it was supposed to end by June 2013. Rajuk has sought three more years for completing the project since it failed to make significant headway in executing the project in the last six years. Eventually, Rajuk would get the fifth extension in its implementation tenure and the time overrun would also escalate its cost tremendously.
The government took the project to protect the lake from illegal occupation, to reclaim and preserve the water retention capacity of the lake and save it from pollution as well as its beautification. Rajuk missed the deadline for failing to complete the land acquisition process. Rajuk faces a huge challenge to complete the task as a powerful quarter who grabbed lands in the project areas put obstacle of land acquisition. Besides, private landowners and organizations are also putting legal barriers on the way to acquire lands for the projects.
Under the project, aesthetic bridges like Hatirjheel and four overpasses will be constructed at nine places of the Lake. The implementation of the project will also bring about a major change in traffic management in Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara and Badda areas. The project will beautify the city, ease traffic congestion and bring liveability of city dwellers in the areas, however, cost overrun of the mega-project involves mega corruption for the sluggishness of implementers.
