The work of the Barisal river port development project is going on at a snail’s pace, with the deadline already missed several times.
People will suffer during Eid rush in September as the work is not expected to end before December.
The deadline for completing the project was April of the current year and after that the ruling party-backed contractors were allowed deadline extension for three times up to December.
The foundation stone of 11-month Barisal river port development and modernisation project involving Tk 17.6 core was laid by the shipping minister on March 4, 2010.
Salam Enterprise and Anukul Chandra Enterprise got the work orders of the project — divided into three groups — in May 2010, quoting 46 per cent less rate and the work was scheduled to be completed by April 30, 2011, said Shahnewaz Kabir, executive engineer of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, Barisal zone.
The contractors earlier extended their deadline till June 30, 2011, again applied for more three months’ extension and at last the deadline was extended up to December 2011 by the ministry, informed the executive engineer.
Nahid Serniabad, a Bangladesh Chhatra League leader of BM College, and Bazlu Commissioner, a local AL leader, engaged in implementing the project, said the cost of construction materials and labour increased thirty to forty per cent since the work began and so standard, quality and schedule of the works could not be maintained.
The project included construction of a three-storey modern terminal building on 1,554 square metre land, 1,500-square-metre parking yard, 1,200 metre steel boundary and retaining wall, 714 meter walkway, 1,000 square metre cargo shed, 400 square metre transit cargo shed, 120-feet six pontoons with jetty for modern loading and unloading facilities, four steel gangway, passenger lounge and waiting room with health and sanitation
facilities, digital display board and announcement facility, police camp, development and maintenance of navigability by regular dredging, beautification of the terminal and adjacent areas of the port, said Zulhasuddin Ahmed, project director and superintending engineer of Barisal BIWTA.
During a spot visit to the port, at least twenty per cent works of the main terminal building, fifty per cent works of placing and connecting jetties and pontoons with the terminal building, works of different connecting roads in the terminal area were found incomplete.
Saidur Rahman Rintu, vice-president of the Barisal Launch Owners’ Association and president of the Barisal Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said Eid rush would start after the third week of Ramadan and if the work of landing and boarding facilities for passengers and cargos were not completed before that, the passengers and businessmen would suffer a lot.
The shipping and water transportation minister, Shahjahan Khan, visited the project area two times within a month — on June 24 and July 11 — and BIWTA chairman Abdul Mannan visited the spot on June 24, July 11 and 12 and expressed dissatisfaction with the progress, standard and quality of the project implementation.
They asked the authorities concerned to complete the embarkation and disembarkation works of the port at any cost before Eid-ul-Fitr scheduled to be held at the beginning of September.
-With New Age input
