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The Financial Express

Tk 543m project cost shoots up to Tk 1.28b!

RHD also seeks more time to widen 29km road in Jamalpur


| Updated: September 06, 2018 10:36:00


Tk 543m project cost shoots up to Tk 1.28b!

The national road and highway developer has sought nearly two-and-a-half time higher funds and two more years to widen a 29-kilometre road in Jamalpur.

Officials said the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) recently asked for a revision of the Jamalpur-Madarganj road-widening work with a 137 per cent extended cost.

The original cost for the 29.12km road project, taken in September 2014, was Tk 543 million.

The cost has now been projected at Tk 1.28 billion, 137 per cent higher from the original estimation.

The implementer also sought two more years up to June 2020 to finish the task, said a senior Planning Commission (PC) official on Monday.

"This is the RHD's third revision proposal for the project," he added.

Meanwhile, an RHD engineer said they sought revision of the project as the design of the road-upgrading work has been changed.

"We need to acquire more land, widen the road, extend the length of culverts and increase flexible pavement work," he added.

"So, we've sought the revision of the project extending the cost and time," he told the FE seeking anonymity.

Meanwhile, the PC official said they were scrutinising this "unusual" project strictly.

"The capacity of the executing agency is very poor. How can a 29km road took six years to complete its widening work?" he questioned.

Earlier, the government revised the Tk 543-million cost of the original project to implement it by June 2017.

It further increased the cost to Tk 664.6 million and extended the deadline up to June 2018.

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