How fast are the fast track projects?
Among the government's priority fast track projects, only Padma Bridge has so far made some notable progress as 46 percent of the main bridge's work has been finished as of August this year with its approach road at Mawa end and service area already completed.
Apart from the bridge, the other fast track projects could not make any significant headway, as the final decision on a deep-sea port is yet to be taken although several years have been passed, while the process for setting up an LNG terminal is going on at a slower pace.
According to the latest progress report on the fast track projects compiled by the Economic Relations Division (ERD), the deep-sea port and LNG terminal projects are still at the preliminary stage.
The much-hyped Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (metro rail) is being implemented with an overall estimated cost of Tk 21,985 crore by June 2024 but the cumulative spending of this project has reached only Tk 2,166 crore.
The work under the first and second agreement of the first phase of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Project witnessed completion while the work on the third and fourth agreement is almost nearing completion.
To implement the second phase, the government last year signed a $11.38 billion contract with Russia, but the cumulative spending of the second phase till August is Tk 3,261 crore.
Of Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power Project, the cumulative spending as of August is Tk 1,021 crore, which is only 2.91 percent of the overall allocation.
The cumulative spending on single-line dual gauge track from Dohazari to Cox's Bazar via Ramu and then Ramu to Ghundhum of Myanmar project has reached Tk 2,290 crore with the overall physical progress notching three percent.
Payra Deep Sea Port Project aims to launch operations at the port through making necessary land acquisition, construction of warehouses, procuring survey boats and pilot vessels to be implemented with an overall expenditure of Tk 1,128.43 crore by June 2018.
The project has so far witnessed a 40 percent progress overall.
Of the LNG terminal project, the work on conducting geotechnical survey has just started.
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