Japan International Cooperation Agency lauded the government decision of including the metro railway, funded by it, as a fast track project, officials said.
It, however, expressed disappointment over the performance of the project’s technical committee when the new and the outgoing JICA representatives met finance minister AMA Muhith at the latter’s residence in the capital on Thursday.
Mikio Hataeda has already taken over the responsibility as the chief representative of JICA in Bangladesh replacing Takao Toda.
The JICA officials told the finance minister that the technical committee looking after $2.8 billion dollar project could not perform as per expectation of the Japanese aid agency.
They pointed out that the 18-member committee lacked manpower and delayed in evaluation process.
The government on Wednesday identified metro-railway and five other projects– Padma Multipurpose Bridge, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Rampal Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plant, Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project or Metro Rail, Sonadia Deep Sea Port in Cox’s Bazar and Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal Construction Project—as the most priority projects of the present government.
JICA which signed a deal with the government in February 2013 to fund majority of the project costs has reportedly given consent to the appointment of Nippon Koei as the consulting firm for the metro rail project last week after the government selected the Japanese company.
But the government is yet to give work order to the consultant, said the communications ministry officials.
There was also discussion on the Padma Bridge project between the finance minister and the JICA officials, said the officials who were present at the meeting.
The JICA officials told Muhith that they had not changed their stand on funding the bridge.
They said they could not change their position because of World Bank that suspended $1.2 billion credit to the much-vaunted bridge project citing corruption conspiracy in the tender process.
The JICA officials, however, assured the finance minister of continuing Japanese assistance for the country’s development.
-With New Age input
