Construction likely to begin this month

The construction work of long-awaited Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover is likely to begin this month, officials of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), implementing agency of the project, said yesterday.
The nine-kilometre-long four-lane flyover is to be constructed in three years at an estimated cost of about Tk 1,400 crore, they said.
The amount would come from private investors through a consortium of local banks and financial institutions that include the Sonali Bank, Agrani Bank, Janata Bank and few others.
The flyover will connect Dhania on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway to Shaheed Zahir Raihan Road at Palashi through Jatrabari, Sayedabad, Gulistan, Bangabandhu Avenue and Fulbaria, Project Director Engineer Md Ashiqur Rahman told BSS.
The flyover, he said, will cover Azimpur and Mirpur Road on the west, Matuail and Demra on the east and Katchpur and Buriganga bridges on the south and the densely populated in the north.
The previous Awami League (AL) government took the initiative in 1999 to construct the country's largest elevated corridor on the basis of Public Private Partnership (PPP). In 2003, a seven-km bridge was designed and its cost was estimated at Tk 670 crore that was later extended to nine-km and cost soared to Tk 1,400 crore.
DCC officials say the project is likely to be inaugurated on June 19.
Ashiqur, however, could not specify the reason behind the delay in implementing the project.
When asked about the appointment of Simplex, an Indian company that had been blacklisted by Mumbai Metro One PVT Ltd, India, Engineer Ashiqur said, “It is nothing unusual, big companies have that kind of records. One has to look at their annual turnover.”
He said the construction and maintenance cost will be recovered through toll collection from the users of the flyover and it will be constructed through Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) system. Belhasa Accom and Associates Limited will operate and maintain the flyover for a concession period of 24 years.
After completion of the flyover, traffic congestion of south and southeast parts of the city will be reduced and commercial activities will increase significantly as well as road communication will improve with adjoining 30 districts with Dhaka city.
Urbanisation opportunity and residential facilities surrounding 50 kilometres of the city will be increased and pressure of utility services such as electricity, gas and sewerage as well as population of the city will be decreased.
The length of the flyover was increased to nine kilometres as per desire of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to cope with the increased movement of vehicles due to Padma Bridge as well as expansion of Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, said DCC Chief Engineer Brig Gen Md Abdul Quadir.
He said since his joining the DCC a year ago he has removed some irregularities to start the construction work.
The Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover was one of the several projects planned to ease the traffic as Dhaka grinds from the heavy load of vehicles on its limited infrastructures. But it underwent many changes since its inception.
DCC Chief Executive Officer Abul Kalam Azad said the Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover will be the longest such structure in the country. The project, he said, may further be expanded considering increased movement of vehicles.