BSCIC park will now cost twice as much as originally thought
The government has revised upwards the cost for the much-delayed BSCIC Industrial Park in Sirajganj for the third time and pushed back its construction deadline -- a development that has now become a regular feature for public works.
The project began its journey in December 1999 with an estimated budget of Tk 197 crore with a view to creating 1 lakh jobs, spurring economic activities and reducing poverty in the poverty-prone northern districts. The completion date was set at June 2004.
But the plan had altogether been scrapped in April 2004 before its revival in August 2010 with a revised budget of Tk 379 crore and a completion date of June 2014.
Following several revisions, the cost has risen to Tk 719 crore, up 14.5 per cent from the last revision of Tk 628 crore. The new deadline is June 2021.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday approved the revision during a meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, at the NEC conference room in Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
The acquisition of land for the project proved to be a lengthy process, the planning ministry said in a report. In addition, combating erosion along the banks of the Jamuna led to further delays.
After the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan told reporters that while the main culprit behind the deferrals was land acquisition, the second issue was having to coordinate with various government bodies on a range of issues related to the project.
The cost of raw materials has gone up since the plan’s inception, so the budget has increased, he said.
The project sits on 400 acres of land and the number of industrial plots is 829.
Between 2010 and June 2019, about Tk 143 crore, or 22.07 per cent of the overall budget, had been spent on its development.
Also at yesterday’s meeting, the project cost of Sheikh Hasina Medical College and Hospital and Nursing College in Jamalpur was revised upwards.
The original budget was Tk 716 crore and the construction was supposed to last from June 2016 to June 2019.
However, the new plan set the budget at Tk 950 crore, with Tk 280 crore coming from India, and reset the completion date at December 2021.
The cost went up and the completion date was pushed back as it took long to get the loan, the planning minister said.
Yesterday, a total of eight projects amounting Tk 22,945 crore was given the green light.
Of the projects, the largest plan is to set up technical schools and colleges in 329 upazilas in a bid to increase the number of skilled workers. The project is estimated to cost about Tk 20,525 crore.
The Directorate of Technical Education, under the education ministry, intends to complete the project by December 2024.
Implementation of the plan is already in its second phase as construction is currently going on in 100 upazilas.
For the construction of the academic-cum-administrative buildings, Tk 8,948 crore has been allocated, while Tk 3,438 crore was set aside for girls’ hostels.
For the construction of Liberation War monuments, which will feature at each institute, Tk 329 crore was allocated. For Shaheed Minars, each school and college was given Tk 98 crore.
Each school and college will also feature water bodies such as ponds and traditional foliage, for which Tk 87 crore is allotted.
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