Work on the extended part of the just-launched metro rail started on Kamalapur rail station site on Saturday with a target to develop 1.16-kilometre track from Motijheel by June 2025.
The work began with the boring job on the west side of the mosque of Kamalapur Rail Station.
The piling work of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line-06 at the station will start at the end of this month, sources said.
They, however, said the Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited has been awarded the job and allowed to work before the commencement of a contract.
The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), the state MRT developer, signed an estimated Tk 6.0-billion contract with the Thai company on November 28.
The Thai company's proposal was lowest among two contractors participated for the work, it claimed.
Five firms are working as contractors of civil works of the 20.1-km MRT-06 from Uttara to Motijheel both independently and in joint venture, officials said.
But none other than Italian-Thai and Abdul Monem showed interest in the Motijheel-Kamalapur extension work.
The DMTCL invited all current contractors to do this small portion of work.
"We invited all contractors of MRT-06 project, but the Thai firm got the job through a process as it showed interest," said DMTCL managing director MAN Siddique.
He said the Thai company has been instructed to complete the work as the government has a plan for operation by June 2025.
About working before the commencement of the contract, the MRT-06 chief engineer said work would commence by the end of this month when piling would begin.
The DMTCL has been implementing the Tk 334.72-billion MRT-06 project since 2012 to develop the country's first metro corridor from Uttara to Motijheel.
The first phase has come under commercial trial between two stations of Uttara and Agargaon after inauguration by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on December 28.
The extension of the 20.1-km line up to Kamalapur was taken at the PM's directive in 2019.
After a feasibility study, its length was found 1.16 kilometre, totalling the elevated track length of the MRT-06 is now 21.26 km.
According to a progress report, overall progress of the line is 92.52 per cent.
smunima@yahoo.com