PM dismayed at project delay

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday expressed dismay at the repeated revisions of projects, resulting in lingering the development spree of the country.

She expressed her annoyance during a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council at NEC Bhaban in the capital.

Sheikh Hasina, also chairman of the ECNEC, joined the meeting virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban.

She directed the authorities concerned not to come up with revised proposals in the meeting.

Whenever a project is revised, the estimated cost and time go up. One of the projects has been revised for the third time, meeting sources said.

“Some 10 projects have been placed before a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council. Of them, five have been placed with revised proposals. The Prime Minister has expressed her dismay in this regard,” Planning Minister MA Mannan told reporters after the meeting. 

Of the revised projects, one is Netrakona-Bishiura-Ishwarganj Road (Z-3710) Development (1st revision). The project involving Tk 261.20 crore was supposed to be completed by 2021.

The meeting approved the project raising Tk 220 crore with a deadline of December this year.

Another project is construction of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Building (1st revision) with Tk 202.65 crore.

The project was supposed to be completed by December 2020. Instead of completing the project on time, the project has been revised raising Tk 59.21 crore and fixed June 2022 for the completion of the project.

The meeting also approved the construction of 16 Regional Passport Offices (Construction of revised 17 Regional Passport Offices and Upward Expansion of 4 Passport Office Buildings) (1st revision) at an estimated cost of Tk 128.39 crore.

The project cost increases some Tk 41.40 crore more and one year time to complete it by December 2022.

Two more projects ---Establishment of Sheikh Hasina Cantonment Barisal (1strevision) with Tk 2,030.09 crore and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park, Gazipur Approach Road Widening and Other Necessary Infrastructure Development (3rd revision) with Tk 242.06 crore ---were also approved by the ECNEC.