Most of the works under the Dhaka-Chittagong Railway Development Project are running at a snail’s pace, said officials. Bangladesh Railway general manager and the project co-ordinator Mohammad Anwarul Kabir told New Age that the Tk 2,540 crore project had been approved on November 2007.
The DCRDP comprises five other projects– Pahartoli Workshop Development, 11 Meter Gauge Locomotive Collection, Consultancy Engineering Services for Dhaka-Chittagong Railway Development Project and Skill Development Programme, Double Line Track Construction between Laksham and Chinkiastana, and Chittagong Railway Station Yard Re-Modelling projects.
A senior railway officer told New Age that there was no physical progress of the Pahartoli project.
‘So far tender has been called for twice to start the development work while those tenders were non-responsive and recently we modified the tender documents. We will call the third tender very soon,’ he added.
About the second project, the official said that on July 14 four locomotives had entered the country which were waiting for trial run.
The most awaited project, 61 kilometre double line construction between Laksham and Chinkiastana, is only at a primary stage, said the source from railway.
‘At present we are building the embankment for laying slippers on it. We set up some slippers on embankment at Feni,’ he said.
The project co-ordinator Anwarul Kabir told New Age that they were scheduled to open a section, 40-kilometre from Laksham to Feni, of this track in next September.
The total route length between Dhaka and Chittagong is 321 kilometres.
About the Chittagong station re-modelling project, he said that works were going on.
According to the BR’s work paper, this project’s physical progress is only 34 per cent.
The consultancy project works were also going on, the officer added.
The project co-ordinator Anwarul Kabir said that when these five sub projects would be completed the overall service of the railway would improve substantially.
The railways minister Mohammad Mazibul Haque said that the project would be completed in time.
Japan International Cooperation Agency funded about Tk 1,232 crore for the projects while the rest was funded by the government of Bangladesh.
-With New Age input
