An aerial view of the long-abandoned Purbachal Link Road, work of which will resume next month.Photo: Star File Photo

Work of the long-abandoned Purbachal Link Road is set to resume by mid January next year, said project officials.
“We have floated tender for earthwork of the link road and expect to issue work order to commence the earthwork of the entire road by January 15,” said ABM Rafiqul Islam Khan, project director of Purbachal New Town.
Purchase committee of the cabinet division has approved the project and consultants have already been hired, he said.
Department of Roads and Highways (RHD) undertook the 300-foot link road connecting Pragati Sarani (Biswa Road) and Purbachal New Town with Dhaka bypass a couple of years back but was abandoned over delay and allegations of anomalies, said RHD officials.
Rajdhani Unnyan Kartripakha (Rajuk) took over the work from RHD in mid 2008, as the later failed to complete the project, under a Tk549-crore project. The road is vital for Rajuk's Purbachal New Town.
Rajuk member (development) Joinal Abedin Bhuiyan said though the RHD undertook the project in around 2004, it was abandoned later. Government later on decided that Rajuk would implement it.
Of the 13.3-kilometre long link road, a length of 6.4 kilometres will stretch from Pragati Sarani to the river Balu through Purbachal New Town and the rest 6.9 kilometres up to the Dhaka bypass road.
Achieving one major purpose of the proposed Kuril flyover depends on the link road, said Dr. M Rahmatullah, a policy advisor of Transport Sector Management Reform of the planning commission. Construction work of the 2.8 kilometre long flyover starts in next March and completion is expected by December 2010.
Construction of a bridge over the river Balu, culverts, five underpasses and two grade separators (overpass) will go on simultaneously under the link road project, said Khan.
The road project was undertaken in line with the recommendation in Strategic Transport Plan (STP) of Dhaka.
The project is scheduled to be complete by June 2012, said Khan, “But practically, we may need about six more months to finish the work. Once we can bring the work to a flow it will proceed in good pace.”
The Purbachal link road was recommended to connect Biswa Road with Rajuk's Purbachal New Town and then Dhaka bypass road (Chittagong road linked with
Mymensigh and Jamuna Bridge).
Additional chief engineer of RHD Golam Mostafa said that actually, it took the RHD long to make progress in the roadwork. Though the RHD started earthwork of the road but it was delayed and postponed.
“There were complaints of anomalies in the work,” he said, “Later, planning commission and higher authorities of the government decided that Rajuk would implement the project.”
Purbachal link road is a dual carriageway and three-lane highway. It will be of two-lane beyond the river Balu. It has been earmarked as a Right of Way (total width dedicated to road).