The RHD must be commended for their efficiency

We applaud the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) for its Kanchpur, Meghna and Gumti 2nd Bridge Construction and Existing Bridges Rehabilitation Project, which won the Technology Award of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers Award 2021. This was conferred to the RHD for the construction of three new bridges and the repairs of three old bridges, which was finished not only before its deadline, but was also done at a lower cost. In fact, the RHD managed to save almost Tk 1,400 crore from its budget during the course of the project.

This is a rare departure from the norm. Project delays are far too common in Bangladesh, and they end up costing the taxpayers crores of Taka that could easily have been invested elsewhere. In February this year, the Prime Minister expressed her frustrations over frequent revisions of projects and directed the authorities to take legal action against those responsible for flawed project designs that ultimately push up costs. This was after two projects, by the Local Government Engineering Department and by Dhaka Wasa, went up by Tk 5,433 crore. Subsequently, we have seen reports of the cost of the Super Specialised Hospital Project at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) going up by Tk 195 crore. The National Household Database project, which could have been an important tool for the government in assisting the most underprivileged households in the pandemic, has also seen delays so lengthy that the data collected has become obsolete, and the costs have gone up by almost Tk 400 crore.

In this context, it is heartening to see this example of timeliness and cost efficiency from the RHD, proving that if there is a will, there certainly is a way. We hope that other government ministries and bodies will take their cue from this and follow suit. Before the RHD constructions and repairs, motorists often suffered in tailbacks for up to eight to 12 hours due to the bottlenecks near the old bridges. These travel times will now be significantly reduced. We hope that every government project will ultimately serve their purpose in this way, and be of benefit to the Bangladeshi public.