The taskforce on fast-track projects on Thursday directed all agencies concerned to take necessary measures for bringing back foreign consultants and experts to speed up the implementation of projects amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
A virtual meeting, chaired by Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Ahmad Kaikaus, also asked the agencies to contact the mission offices concerned for convincing them to join their project work.
The meeting was attended by secretaries and project directors of almost all the fast-track listed projects.
Project officials said they were facing challenge in bringing back the consultants particularly Japanese consultants working under the metro rail and Matarbari projects due to the coronavirus situation in the country, according to meeting sources.
They also said the authorities of some projects including Padma Multipurpose Bridge had already taken measures to contact the mission offices.
But the authority of projects mainly Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6 was still facing challenge to convince the Japanese experts to join work due to open space of 20-kilometre corridor.
The fast-track project monitoring task force called the meeting at the directive of the Prime Minister to speed up the process of implementation following health guidelines observing a slow progress amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The projects which came into discussion include Padma Multipurpose Bridge (PMB), Padma Rail Link, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Rampal Thermal Power Plant, and Matarbari Port Development.
Sources said the secretary of Bridge Division under which the PMB project is being implemented informed the meeting that six consultants from Malaysia, United Kingdom and Australia were waiting to join the project work.
He also said measures had already been taken to bring them back through the mission office.
Regarding RNPP, officials said Russia had already made arrangement to send the consultants to Bangladesh by chartered plane.
It was also informed that measures had been taken to keep special arrangements for project consultants and workers at Pabna Hospital.
The chair directed all project implementing agencies to take measures to cover the time loss caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The government has included 12 costly projects in the list of fast-track projects to expedite the process of implementation following proper guidelines.
The fast-track project monitoring committee headed by the Prime Minister reviews the project progress usually twice a year. The last meeting was held in January. The task force meeting is held usually after every two months.
Other fast-track projects are Payra Port First Terminal, Payra Port Infrastructure Development, Moheskhali Matarbari Integrated Infrastructure Development, MRT-1 and MRT-5.
Many of these projects are still at design stages.
smunima@yahoo.com