Road Reconstruction: RHD asked to explain delays, cost escalation

The Planning Commission has raised question about a Roads and Highways Department (RHD) project requesting more money when the project deadline had already been extended trice and its cost increased. 

The RHD had taken up a Tk 321.56 crore project in January 2017 for reconstructing a 38-kilometre portion of Jashore-Khulna national highway. The work was supposed to be completed within December 2019.

But the project authorities could not meet the deadline. Ruts developed in the road within March 2020, making movement of transport difficult.

"Even though there were no land acquisition-related complexities, taking such a long time for developing [reconstructing] such a short road is not expected," the commission said.

The commission also asked the project authorities to explain the reasons for the delay.

Speaking to The Daily Star, the project authorities blamed delayed start of the physical work, rutting in the road, Covid-19 pandemic; and changes in road design for the delay and cost escalation.

Amid such a situation, the project evaluation committee will hold its meeting tomorrow, with Mamun-Al-Rashid, member (Physical Infrastructure Division) of the Planning Commission, in the chair, sources said.

This development comes at a time when failing to meet deadlines and cost escalation of development projects have become a major causes for concern for the government, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressing discontent over the delays on several occasions.

Every year, the government is allocating huge sums of money for the projects. But the projects' rate of progress seems to be quite different from the rate at which the allocations are being raised every year due to a range of reasons.

The RHD alone has sought time extensions for about 80 projects in the last fiscal year for a host of reasons, said sources in the department.

PROJECT UNDER QUESTION

The Ecnec had approved the project in March 2017 to reconstruct a 38km stretch -- from Paullbari to Rajghat -- of Jashore-Khulna National Highway.

Although the highway is being used for transportation of import and export goods through the Mongla Port, thickness of its pavement was not enough, warranting the reconstruction work, shows Planning Commission document.

As the project authority could not meet the December 2019 deadline, the road transport and bridges minister approved a revision of the project, raising the project cost to Tk 358.12 crore and extending the deadline to June 2020.

In May 2020, deadline of the project, along with many others, was extended up to June 2021 as per the decision of the National Economic Council due to the pandemic.

Later, the Planning Commission, following a request from the project authorities, extended the deadline to June 2022.

But that was not the end of it.

The project authorities sought another revision of the project cost mentioning that they have to do some more work. If approved, the project cost would go up to Tk 371.52 crore.

WHAT PROJECT AUTHORITIES SAY

Project Director Syed Aslam Ali, also the additional chief engineer (Khulna Zone) of RHD, said they would require the additional money as they would raise the height of the shoulder of the road to widen it.

Asked why they were going do the work now, he said overloaded trucks created ruts in the two-lane road and as per the suggestion of their consultant, they were going to do it.

Besides, they would build three more truck bays, he added.

Enquired about the delay, SM Moazzem Hossain, executive engineer of Jashore RHD, said after the completion of tendering process, they were able to award the work to the contractors in March and May 2018 respectively for competing the work within two years.

Besides, complexities over cutting roadside trees also caused delays, leading them to seek six months' time, he added.

Meantime, movement of "overloaded" trucks created ruts in the road, forcing the project authorities to change the road design as per the instruction of the consultants. Completion of all these processes took more time due to the pandemic, Moazzem added.

The RHD official refuted the allegation that poor quality of work resulted in development of ruts in the road during the reconstruction period. He said movement of a large number of overloaded trucks led to the ruts.