A delay in creating the post of gatekeepers in the past three years has chucked two level-crossing gate uplift projects in the slow lane and doubled their costs.
Insiders said on Saturday the Bangladesh Railway (BR) has recently sought one more year for both projects from the Planning Commission following its failure to execute work for five years.
In 2015, the BR undertook the 'Rehabilitation and upgradation of level-crossing gates at the BR's western zone project' at Tk 478.42 billion.
On the other hand, the 'Rehabilitation and upgradation of the level-crossing gates at the BR's eastern zone project' was taken at Tk 493.39 million.
Both the schemes were due for completion by June 2017.
The needless delay boosted project costs for the western zone by 112 per cent to Tk 1.04 billion and the eastern zone by 93 per cent to Tk 922.81 million.
Following the BR's failure to accomplish the task, the government first extended the deadline up to June 2019 and then up to June 2021 with revision of costs.
When asked, a BR official told the FE about the completion of upgrading 348 level-crossing gates at eastern zone and 326 gates at western zone.
"We've done civil works, including gate upgradation and rehabilitation countrywide, and also temporarily appointed gatekeepers for level-crossing management. They get salary from development budget."
For the past couple of years, they had been trying to create posts under revenue budget for those appointed gatekeepers but failed, the official said.
"We've failed to get approval of 1,889 posts of gatekeepers from public administration and finance ministries which have mainly delayed the project execution," he cited as a reason.
They initially planned to outsource gatekeepers to secure 674 level-crossing gates but in 2017 decided to create permanent posts and appoint manpower directly.
"We've been trying to create permanent posts but failed for non-cooperation from public administration and finance ministries. But they've already appointed gatekeepers…," the official said.
Having failed to bag the ministries' approval, they have been paying salaries from development budget, thus forcing them to extend the project deadline up to June 2022, the official said.
The state rail developer needs to spend nearly 40 per cent of the total costs of both projects on paying salaries to gatekeepers and project staff members.
The BR is hopeful of getting approval from both ministries within this fiscal year, 2021-22, to end the project by June 2022.
The FE finds that the BR sought 1,889 permanent posts of gatekeepers from public administration ministry in August 2018 and then in October of the same year.
Citing a government circular in July 1997, the ministry informed railways ministry of no scope to shift manpower under development projects to revenue budget.
In December 2019, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council asked the authorities to create permanent posts under revenue budget.
Later, the BR again applied for the posts.
When asked, the BR official said they were yet to get approval of the proposals.
