Transport minister Obaidul Quader deplored substandard works on Dhaka-Chattogram highway and Nabinagar-Chandra four-lane road, as he Wednesday witnessed contract signing for developing a regional-connectivity corridor.
Roads and Highways Department (RHD) people came under ire of the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, also the ruling Awami League general secretary, as the two important corridors from the capital became dilapidated shortly after completion.
For lack of quality works, he said, maintenance of the highways has been necessary and those are being managed patching up every now and then since the completion of the works.
"Dhaka-Chattogram highway faced the necessity of maintenance within two years of the completion. Likewise, Nabinagar-Chandra within a year of completion turned unfit. It is now being tried to manage patching up like ragged quilt," said the minister, under whose jurisdiction fall roads and bridges in the communications sector.
He made the comments while addressing the contract-signing ceremony on works under package-3 of Dhaka-Sylhet highway corridor-development project under which 209.32 kilometres of the highway will be upgraded to six lanes.
The minister also reprimanded the RHD authorities for not making ready axle-load stations as planned to set up 27 I in number.
Two more Chinese companies with two joint-venture Bangladeshi companies have got 35- kilometre development works under work package 03.
Henan Highway Engineering Group Company -Mir Akhter JV signed Tk 12.32 billion contract for developing 15.7-kilometre road from Sorail Intersection to Budhonti Bus Stand.
Two other Chinese companies - China Shandong International Economic and Technical Cooperation Group and Shandong Luqiao Group Company-and Project Development Limited of PRAN-RFL signed for Tk 10.85-billion works under which 19.1 km road from Budhondi Bus Stand to SM Spinning Mills will be developed.
As per the deals, both the joint-venture companies will complete the physical works in four years and carry maintenance work for next six years.
The RHD took up the 169.18-billion SASEC Dhaka-Sylhet Corridor Road Development Project in 2021 to develop the corridor which is a part of the Asian Highway 1 and 2, BIMSTEC and SAARC Highway corridor. With the support of the ADB, the project will establish link with India via Sylhet-Tamabil section.
The contracts signed Wednesday awarded around 95 km out of 209 km to contractors mostly under joint ventures. Except for one Turkish company, Chinese companies have got the works.
However, the RHD has still challenges to start the work under the three packages being unable to complete land-acquisition and utility-shifting works.
Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri chaired the contract- signing ceremony which was also addressed, among others, by Parliamentary Standing Committee Chairman Rowshan Ara Mannan, Chief Engineer Mohammad Ishaque, Asian Development Bank Country Director Edimon Ginting and Project Director AK Mohammad Fazlul Karim.
