The Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) undertook a Tk 5,617 crore-mega project in 2017 to solve the perennial waterlogging problem in the country’s commercial capital in just three years. But the project’s tenure has now been extended by three more years in two phases. In the meantime, the estimated cost of some of the project’s components has shot up by 8 to 38 times, according to sources. A government-commissioned study attributed the delay mainly to the flawed feasibility study, slow pace in fund disbursement, dearth of workforce, and lack of coordination between implementing and consulting firms.
So far, only about half of the work — mainly involving expansion and re-excavation of canals — has been completed, with about 29 per cent of the total budget spent. Lack of yearly work plan and absence of regular financial audit of the project expenditure by the CDA are also impeding the project’s work, said the study, conducted by Participatory Action Research of Human for Advancement, published by the Planning Ministry in July this year. The project is now set to end in June 2023. The 34 Engineering Construction Brigade of Bangladesh Army is implementing the project.
According to town planners and engineers, before rolling out the project, the CDA took only one week to carry out the feasibility study. It ignored practical issues such as land acquisition and detailed project design. A sound feasibility study for a project of this scale should take at least a year. It is alleged that the CDA planning was so poor that the cost of at least 10 out of 21 purchase packages went up by 116 per cent to a mind boggling 3,740 per cent compared to the estimated budget. For example, the estimated cost of the Development Project Proposal for cleaning and maintenance of canals and drains in the eastern part of the city was Tk 7.5 crore. But it took Tk 288 crore to complete the work, which is 3,740 per cent higher than the estimate. This is a sheer waste of public money and time. In this context, the Chittogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry said there was a lack of coordination among the army, the city corporation and the Water Development Board.
The slow progress means the city dwellers will continue to suffer during monsoon when residential areas, key thoroughfares and the Port City’s biggest wholesale market go under knee to waist deep water. The economic impact of waterlogging is huge. We want coordinated efforts to resolve this perennial problem of the Port City once and for all.
