The ongoing eight 'fast-track' mega projects are coming under intense supervision as a few of those have suffered major implementation delays.
The implementation monitoring and evaluation division (IMED) under planning ministry will extend its on-field monitoring from now on, officials said on Monday.
The IMED wants to oversee the government's top-priority projects once in every four months instead of once a year, they added.
The high-powered task force, headed by the prime minister, has recently asked the IMED to strengthen monitoring of the fast-track projects, IMED secretary Pradip Ranjan Chakraborty told the FE.
"We've taken up a new plan to visit every project site once in every four months. It means our team will monitor work on each project thrice a year to ensure their quality and timely implementation."
Earlier, the IMED used to visit fast-track project sites once a year.
The first Awami League-led government after taking over in 2009 undertook several mega projects for developing the country's ailing infrastructure.
Some of them were categorised as 'fast-track' while attaching the highest priority for their speedy and quality implementation.
However, many projects have been struggling with implementation delays as they have already been revised once or twice with extension of time and costs.
From now on, Mr Chakraborty said, monitoring of the mega projects would be strengthened as the government was giving the highest financial, technical and managerial support for completing the projects.
"If work is still delayed, it's unfortunate. The general public would be deprived of the outcome of the benefits of development that our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wants to reach at the doorsteps of the people."
Among at least half of the eight projects are performing well and the rest are grappling with implementations delays, project insiders said.
Currently, the $2.5-billion Padma bridge, Russia-backed $14.14-billion Rooppur nuclear power plant, Japan-aided $4.5-billion Matarbari coal-fired power plant and $2.74-billion Uttara-Motijheel metro-rail projects have got the implementation momentum.
However, the Asian Development Bank-supported $2.25-billion Dohazari-Cox's Bazar-Ramu-Gundhum rail line, China-supported $4.37 billion Padma bridge rail link and the multi-donor-funded Payra deep-sea port projects still have some problems in execution.
The India-Bangladesh joint-venture Rampal 2X660-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant is also struggling for execution delays for long years.
A senior IMED official told the FE that they were preparing for traveling to project sites for monitoring work seriously with many already missing the deadline.
For example, he said, Rampal project was undertaken in 2009, Padma Bridge in 2009, MRT Line-06 in 2012 and Padma rail in 2016, but those are still uncompleted.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved the Padma rail link project in May 2016 at Tk 349.88 billion which was later revised at Tk 392.47 billion in 2018.
The official said, "Just after easing (coronavirus) lockdown, we'll start our on-field monitoring activities. Our secretary had instructed us to monitor the projects once in every four months."
"Since the government is trying to inaugurate some infrastructure projects within Mujib Barsha, the PMO is concerned over their timely execution," he stated.
"Some projects are on track while some are behind the target due to different factors. We hope our strict monitoring will facilitate quality project execution within the stipulated time."
According to the official, Padma Bridge is likely to be opened to traffic by this December, and the Uttara-Agargaon portion of the MRT line-06 by next June.
Another official said work on the Rooppur nuke plant and Matarbari power plant have already got momentum even during the ongoing lockdown.
Although the Rampal project near the Sundarbans suffered initial hiccups in the face of opposition from environmentalists, he said, it has got momentum too.
The Dohazari-Cox's Bazar rail line, Padma bridge rail link and Payra port projects still have some problems in execution, the IMED official added.
