Slow but not even steady

The cost for an important road project in Khulna city is likely to see a hefty Tk 160 crore increase, after the project was delayed due to land acquisition issues.

In 2010, The Khulna Development Authority (KDA) took the initiative to  widen the four km road into four lanes from Rupsha Traffic mor to Khanjahan Ali Bridge (Rupsha Bridge), to link the rest of the city to the Khulna Shipyard.

However, almost 12 years later, progress is yet to be seen.

Even though eight years ago land acquisition and removal of establishments in the area was completed, the road remains completely inoperative today as the authorities took no initiative to repair its cracks in this period of time.

In May 2013, the' Khulna Shipyard Road Widening and Development Project' was approved at the Ecnec meeting with a fixed term till June 2015. On 22 July, 2020, the Ecnec approved a revised project to extend the term till  June 2022.

According to KDA sources, after the project duration increased, the value of the project increased  from Tk 98.90 crore to a whopping Tk 259.21 crore.

Although, the road fell under the jurisdiction of Khulna City Corporation (KCC), its responsibility was handed over to KDA in 2013. As a result, KCC took no initiative for the repairs, sources said.

Meanwhile, KDA claimed that since the project only allocated budget for the lanes and didn't specify any terms for repairing the road, they won't be able to address the issue either.

Over the years, locals staged  human chains and demonstrations, demanding renovation of the broken road, but no heed was paid, even though vehicles often overturn on the road after falling into large potholes.

Visiting the area recently, this correspondent noticed numerous potholes and scattered bitumen on the road. Owing to this dilapidated condition, traffic has increased significantly.

Arif Hossain, Ward No. 31 councillor of KCC, said, "This is one of the major roads of the city. Besides, Rupsha is also one of the main entrances into the city from Barishal and  Khulna divisions."

Mahbubur Rahman Munna, general secretary of Nirapad Sarak Andolan of Khulna city, said,  "Previously, this road was a short-cut for drivers to avoid traffic, but now, it's become a cause for their peril."

Contacted, Md Arman Hossain, project director and executive engineer of KDA, said, "We've faced a lot of trouble trying to acquire land on both sides of the road, as they were occupied by residents."

On the other hand, the allotted

revenue skyrocketed as the compensation for the land acquired by the government tripled.

"The tender for appointing a contractor has been issued for a second time. However, the process of engaging the contractor is awaiting approval from the purchase committee of the public works ministry. Once approved, we will get to work immediately," the KDA official said.