Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has proposed spending Tk 1.2 million for installing traffic signs & signals on each kilometre of road for a regional highway widening project in Jamalpur, insiders said on Monday.
The state-run road developer has earmarked Tk 1.0 million funds for installing two road direction signs under the project, they said.
Besides, it has proposed to spend Tk 593.9 million funds, 49 per cent of total Tk 1.21 billion project costs, for acquiring 10 hectares of land.
The RHD will require only Tk 397.86 million, 33 per cent of the total project estimation for rebuilding the 4.45km road, while the remaining 67 per cent for land acquisition and other related work.
Besides, the road developer has set aside Tk 0.5 million for "unforeseen cost", Tk 0.5 million for land survey, Tk 0.18 million for purchasing motorbikes, Tk 0.5 million for stationery items seals, promotion & advertisement, and for testing, and Tk 0.68 million for utility shifting under the project.
This correspondent has found the anomalies while analysing the RHD's recently-formulated Dewanganj-Bahadurabad Ghat regional road widening project to be completed by June 2022.
The ministry of road transport and bridges has recently requested the Planning Commission for approving the road development work.
The RHD proposed Tk 35.79 million for constructing a km of pavements for the Dewanganj-Bahadurabad Ghat road widening project while the cost was put at Tk 24.76 million for an ongoing road widening project there.
Similarly, it proposed Tk 30.91 million for laying out the surface of each km of road under the Dewanganj project against Tk 27.30 million for a similar road widening project.
It also proposed Tk 410 for constructing a cubic metre of road embankment under the Dewanganj project against Tk 278 per cm under an ongoing project there.
Executive engineer of the RHD in Jamalpur Md Mostafizur Rahman told the FE that they had taken the project to widen the road as the LGED and local municipality handed over it to RHD in 2018.
Now, the road will be upgraded to a two-lane regional highway from the current upazila road status, he added.
Mr Rahman said they had estimated the land acquisition cost based on the preliminary assessment of the deputy commissioner's office.
Besides, other costs have been estimated on the latest rate-schedule of the RHD.
According to the state-run road developer, it will spend Tk 297.76 million, 24.69 per cent of the total project cost for 4.46 km road flexible pavement construction work.
Besides, it will invest Tk 100.11 million for road embankment construction, Tk 55.80 million for building eight RCC box-culverts, and Tk 5.01 million for drain construction and Tk 46.43 million for road protection.
Mr Rahmna said, "During the preparation of the project, we've sought a land acquisition cost from the Jamalpur DC office. The DC office gave us a preliminary estimation. Then we have included the cost in our DPP. It can be reduced when the estimation will be finalised," he said.
About the cost of traffic signs and signals, Mr Rahman said the cost was not inflated, rather relevant, he said.
"Actually, the preliminary costs are estimated based on assumptions, which would ultimately decrease at the end of the project. In that case, some funds from the total estimation may remain unutilised. It will be given back to the public exchequer," he added.
