Bangabandhu Bridge: Toll to go up around 17pc
Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) has decided to raise the toll rate of Bangabandhu Bridge by around 17 percent aiming to boost its income for covering maintenance costs and repaying loans.
The authority has also decided to increase the toll rate of Mukterpur Bridge in Munshiganj for the first time since it inauguration in 2008.
The BBA board, chaired by Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, made the decisions at its 110th meeting yesterday, officials said.
However, the revised toll rate has to be approved by the prime minister before being implemented. Once approved, the new rate may be introduced from October, they added.
The move comes at a time when the country is witnessing a second wave of Covid-19 and the fare of buses has already been increased by 60 percent to run those at half their capacity.
The fresh initiative may further increase fares of transport which would use the two bridges.
Meanwhile, the BBA board did not approve a toll rate proposal for the under-construction Padma Bridge as the project work has not been completed yet.
The meeting decided to fix the rate three or four months before the opening of the bridge to traffic, likely in June next year, sources said.
Contacted, BBA Executive Director Abu Bakr Siddique, also the secretary of Bridges Division, said they decided to increase the toll rate "to some extent".
Replying to another question, he said the average rise in toll for Bangabandhu Bridge would be around 17 percent.
He, however, could not immediately recall the revised toll rate of Muktarpur Bridge. "I have to see the documents. However, the rise is likely to be similar to that of Bangabandhu Bridge."
The 4.8-kilometre Bangabandhu Bridge, which was opened to traffic in 1998, on the Jamuna river is a vital strategic economic road, rail, energy, and telecommunication link between the western and eastern parts of the country.
The project was implemented at a cost of Tk 3,745 crore.
Quader on June 6 told parliament that Tk 6,434 crore was collected as toll from vehicles using the Bangabandhu Bridge till May this year since its inauguration 23 years ago.
In his scripted answer to a question from an MP, the minister said Tk 4,104.21 crore was spent as operational and maintenance costs and also for payment of DSL (debt service liability) of the bridge during that period. The loan taken from development partners for the construction of the bridge would be repaid by 2034, he added.
On the other hand, BBA opened 1.52km Mukterpur Bridge over the Daleshwari in 2008. The bridge was built under a Tk 208.35 crore project to connect Munshiganj with Dhaka and Narayanganj.
REVISED TOLL RATE
As per the Bangabandhu Bridge toll rate revised in 2011, a motorcycle now pays Tk 40, car Tk 500, minibus Tk 650, bus Tk 900, small truck Tk 850, and large truck Tk 1,400 for using the structure.
The BBA attempted to increase the rate twice, but in vain. When it placed a revised toll proposal in November last year, the BBA broad did not endorse it considering the pandemic situation in the country.
The toll hike proposal for Mukterpur Bridge was also rejected at that meeting.
As per the present rate, a motorcycle pays Tk 10, an auto-rickshaw TK 20, a car Tk 40, a minibus Tk 100, a bus Tk 200, a small truck Tk 150 and a large truck Tk 500 to cross the bridge.
Yesterday, the BBA again placed the toll hike proposal before the board. It proposed raising the toll rate by 10 to 50 percent.
For Bangabandu Bridge, it proposed a toll of Tk 50 for bike, Tk 550 for car, Tk 750 for minibus, Tk 1,000 for bus and small truck, and Tk 1,600 for large truck.
On the other hand, the BBA proposed a toll of Tk 30 for auto-rickshaw, Tk 50 for car, Tk 150 for minibus, Tk 250 for bus, Tk 200 for small truck and Tk 600 for large truck for using Mukterpur Bridge. It, however, proposed keeping the toll for bikes unchanged.
An official, who was aware of the meeting, said the BBA board discussed the toll issue elaborately and the road transport minister suggested reducing some rates.
Quader also said the revised rate should not be introduced before October this year, the official told The Daily Star wishing not to be named.
WHAT TRANSPORT OWNERS SAY
Khondaker Enayet Ullah, secretary general of Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, said they were not aware of any move regarding hiking of the toll rate.
"Our business has already taken a hit from the pandemic. Amid such a situation, raising the toll rate without holding talks with us is not appropriate at all," he told this newspaper yesterday.
Rustam Ali Khan, general secretary of Bangladesh Truck-Covered-Van Owners Association, said if the operational costs of vehicles go up, the fares of truck and covered van will rise as well.
Asked about the matter, Abu Bakr Siddique said they have to depend on the toll revenue for bearing the maintenance costs of the two bridges, repay loans, and collect funds for two new projects.
"The toll hike proposal was placed before the last meeting [in November 2020]. But it was not approved then and the BBA was asked to place the proposal before the next meeting. So we have placed the proposal before the board meeting today [yesterday] and got the approval," he told The Daily Star.
Although there was a restriction on movement of long-haul buses in the first 24 days of May, a total of 826, 216 vehicles used the Bangabandhu Bridge that month and the BBA collected record 57.68 crore as toll, show documents.
The authority collected 1.72 crore as toll from Mukterpur Bridge last month.
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