TDS Desk

The interim government is likely to cancel two projects under the Bridge Division – an elevated road in Kishoreganj and a suspension bridge over the River Meghna – as part of its move to scrap politically motivated, non-essential projects initiated by ministers and MPs during the tenure of the ousted Awami League government in their constituencies.

It has come to light that the previous government undertook the Haor four-lane elevated road project in Kishoreganj at the behest of former president Md Abdul Hamid.

Meanwhile, despite lacking economic viability, former state minister for planning Shamsul Alam used his influence to push through the Meghna suspension bridge project. Shamsul, a former bureaucrat who benefited from the last AL administration, had ambitions to contest from the Chandpur-2 (Matlab North-South) constituency, which motivated him to secure approval for several infrastructure projects in the area. One such project was the “Bridge Construction Project on Meghna-Dhanagoda River on Matlab North-Gazaria Road.”

Sources in the Bridge Division confirmed that both projects were politically motivated and may therefore face cancellation. Discussions are ongoing to exclude them from the government’s current plans, and work on both projects remains suspended, although no final decision has been reached, they noted.

When approached for comment, Md Fahimul Islam, secretary of the Bridge Division, told the Daily Sun, “All projects are being reviewed by the Planning Commission, including those under the Bridge Division. However, I’m not aware if these two particular projects will be cancelled.”

The interim government is assessing several factors for project cancellations, focusing on whether a project genuinely addresses public needs, its potential return on investment, and any environmental impacts, as well as indications of purely political motivations.

ELEVATED ROAD IN KISHOREGANJ HAOR

The proposed Haor overpass project aimed to construct a road from Mithamain upazila headquarters to Morichkhali in Karimganj upazila, with an estimated cost of Tk5,651.13 crore.

The project, planned to be fully funded by the government, was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on 17 January 2023. The process of land acquisition and contractor appointments was also initiated, with completion initially targeted for June 2028.

However, the project has now stalled.

A feasibility study conducted by Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) at a cost of Tk20 crore suggested that the project could be profitable for the Bridge Authority, with an estimated 25,708 vehicles projected to use the road daily by 2030, including 1,382 buses.

However, it was noted that only a limited number of motorcycles and auto-rickshaws would likely use the road in the initial years.

Concerns have arisen over the project’s environmental and flood impacts on the Haor region, leading the interim government to consider its cancellation.

MEGHNA SUSPENSION BRIDGE PROJECT

Former state minister for planning Shamsul Alam initiated the country’s first-ever four-lane suspension bridge project in Matlab North in Chandpur. The proposed cost of constructing the bridge over the Meghna-Dhanagoda river, which would connect Chandpur and Munshiganj districts, is Tk4,174.67 crore.

However, Bridge Division sources told the Daily Sun that only small vehicles operate along the route on which the bridge has been proposed, raising concerns over the feasibility of recouping the high costs. The Planning Commission has therefore deemed it an unnecessary and costly project, suggesting it might be cancelled as it remains in the preliminary phase.

Currently, around eleven other projects under the Bridge Division are in progress, most in construction phases and a few in feasibility study stages.