For the Khulna Development Authority or KDA seven years are hardly enough to widen a less than four-kilometre road.
The city development agency has failed even to start the 3.78km road-widening project in the last seven years, for which it sought additional time of two and a half years and costs, which are three-times that in the original estimate.
The KDA was supposed to widen the Khulna shipyard road, adjacent to the city area.
The delay has not only deprived the people of getting smooth communications facility in time, but also cost the taxpayers' more money, officials said.
Architect Iqbal Habib said the amount the KDA has sought is too much for widening a less than 4km road.
"I am sure the project implementing authority had no initial impact assessment, nor environmental and social impact analysis and a proper feasibility study. If the authority had followed those drills , it would never have taken nine years to complete a project. Nor would it require three-fold hike in costs," he told the FE.
The KDA has sought a two-year extension up to July 2022 and Tk 2.59 billion, or 162 per cent higher than its original estimate of Tk 989.05 million.
Back in 2013, the KDA undertook the "Widening and development of the Khulna shipyard road project" at Tk 989.05 million for completing it within June 2015, according to the original project proposal.
After failing to complete the project, the KDA applied for extending the execution schedule up to June 2020 to the line ministry. Accordingly the ministry endorsed it.
But even after extending the timeline up to June 2020 from its initial schedule of June 2015, the development authority has failed again.
When asked, KDA chief engineer Kazi Md. ShabirulAlam told the FE the land acquisition complexities and change of the road design after approval of the project proposal were the major reasons for the delay.
"We've almost completed the land acquisition. But the payments to the affected people and agencies have yet to be cleared," he told the FE on Tuesday over phone.
"We have now acquired almost entire necessary land and have cleared the road alignment. After revision of the projects by the ECNEC, we will start construction work," he added.
The KDA official could not say about the physical progress of the road so far.
But he told this correspondent that 30 per cent of the total funds had been spent.
According to the KDA, it would widen the Khulna shipyard road to 60-feet width from the existing 20-40 feet.
It is acquiring some 7.3 acres of land for constructing the road.
Mr Habib said, "As an urban planner I can say that it can take some more time for land acquisition than other projects in Bangladesh. But seven years is too much. It is not acceptable."
The government should be strict about curbing the misuse of money and punish the persons responsible, he added.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister on Tuesday expressed her dissatisfaction over the KDA's project when it was placed before the meeting for revision.
She asked the Planning Commission to examine why it was delayed and public fund was misused.
The ECNEC revised the project, however.