Work on Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover likely to begin this month

The construction work of long-awaited Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover is likely to begin this month, officials of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), the implementing agency of the project, said here yesterday.
The nine-kilometre-long four-lane flyover is to be constructed in three years at an estimated cost of about Taka 1,400 crore, they said.
The amount would come from private investors through a consortium of local banks and financial institutions that include the Sonali Bank, Agrani Bank, Janata Bank and few others.
The flyover will connect Dhania on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway to the capital’s Palashi’s Shaheed Zahir Raihan Road through Jatrabari, Sayedabad, Gulistan, Bangabandhu Avenue and Fulbaria, project director engineer Md Ashiqur Rahman told the news agency.
The flyover, he said, will cover Azimpur and Mirpur Road on the west, Matuail and Demra on the east and Katchpur and Buriganga bridges on the south and the densely populated in the north.
In 1999, the previous Awami League (AL) government took the initiative to construct the country’s largest elevated corridor on the basis of Public Private Partnership (PPP). In 2003, a 7-km bridge was designed and its cost was estimated at Taka 670 crore.  But later it was extended to 9-km and its estimated cost soared to Taka 1,400 crore.
The project was scheduled to be inaugurated on June 12. Now DCC officials say it may be inaugurated on June 19.
The project director did not specify any reason for the delay in implementing the project. Asked whether the appointment of Simplex, an Indian company that had been blacklisted by Mumbai Metro One PVT Ltd, India, engineer Rahman said, “It is nothing unusual, big companies have that kind of records. One has to look at their annual turnover.”
He said the construction and maintenance cost will be recovered through toll collection from the users of the flyover and it will be constructed through Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) system. Belhasa Accom and Associates Limited will operate and maintain the flyover for a concession period of 24 years.
After completion of the flyover, traffic congestion of south and southeast parts of the city will be minimised and commercial activities will be increased significantly while improved road communication system will be developed with adjoining 30 districts with Dhaka City.
Urbanisation opportunity and residential uses surrounding 50 kilometres of the city will be increased, and pressure of utility service such as electricity, gas, sewerage etc as well as population of the city will be decreased.
The length of the flyover was increased to nine kilometres as per desire of prime minister Sheikh Hasina to cope with increased movement of vehicles due to Padma Bridge as well as expansion of Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, said chief engineer of DCC brig gen Md Abdul Quadir.
He said since his joining the DCC a year ago he has removed some irregularities in trying to start the construction work.
The Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover was one of several projects planned to ease the traffic as Dhaka grinds from the heavy load of vehicles on its limited infrastructures. But it underwent many changes since its inception. The government hopes to streamline the problems that have been generated over the years and complete the task before the next general election scheduled for 2014.
DCC chief executive officer Abul Kalam Azad said the Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover will be the longest such structure in the country. The project, he said, may further be expanded considering increased movement of vehicles.
 
Courtesy of BSS via The Independent