The state-run Bangladesh Railway (BR) has sought five years more to procure 70 locomotives, as it could not implement the project in time despite its inception in 2011, officials have said.
It now seeks funds higher by 37 per cent than the preliminary estimation in 2011 due to the hike in prices of the engines and other services, they have said.
The government already extended the time on two occasions and gave it until June 2019 to procure the 70 metre-gauge (MG) diesel electric (DE) locomotives.
The state-run railway service provider has claimed that since it brought massive changes in funding arrangements and also in the design of the locomotives, it will require more time and money.
The BR recently submitted its proposal seeking revision of the project to extend the cost to Tk 26.59 billion from the original estimation of Tk 19.46 billion.
Besides, the BR also sought five years more up to June 2024 beyond the current deadline of June 2019 to complete the project.
The BR took up the project in 2011 to procure the 70 MG DE locomotives at a cost of Tk 19.46 billion.
The project was scheduled to be completed by June 2017. Then the government extended the deadline by one year to June 2018 due to the failure to appoint the engine supplier.
Again the government extended the deadline by one more year to June 2019 without raising the cost of the project.
Skeptical of the ability to complete the project by the latest timeframe, the BR has now sought revision of it extending the cost by 37 per cent to Tk 26.59 billion and the deadline to June 2024.
A BR official said, "Firstly, the project execution has been delayed due to a change in the mode of financing. We proposed meeting the cost from the internal funds. But the ECNEC later suggested mobilising financing from external sources. So, the search for foreign funds has delayed our project execution."
Besides, "since we were forced to cancel the tenders on two occasions due to some reasons, it has affected our project execution," he added.
Project insiders said the BR invited the first tender in September 2011 to pick an international firm to supply the 70 MG railway engines.
The tender was opened nearly one and a half years later in February 2013, when the technical proposals of three bidders were non-responsive.
The BR then invited tenders again in July 2013. Then also the bids were found technically non-responsive.
So, the BR again in December 2014 invited tenders for the third time and the bids for supplying the 70MG DE locomotives were found responsive, the project insiders said.
"But the BR has not been able to procure any of the locomotives, although it has wasted nearly eight years since the inception of the project," said an official.
Now the BR was seeking another five years to complete procurement of the engines, he told the FE requesting anonymity.
"It is very unfortunate that a project is taking 13 years to complete. We are strictly scrutinising the proposal for revision of the project and trying to find out the reasons for the unusual delay," said a PC official.
When contact by the FE on Saturday, BR Director General Kazi Md Rafiqul Alam was not available for comments.
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