Delay in implementation costs Tk 69 cr more
Tk 434 crore project was supposed to be completed in 30 months by October 9.
With the stipulated time expired, the consultancy firm Veceome has stopped work while the construction firm China Harbour reportedly prepares to wrap up work demanding revised consultancy fee and construction cost for working during the extended time, sources said.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The caretaker government has approved the revised project proposal at a meeting on November 8 extending the implementation time up to December 31, 2007.
It also raised the project cost to Tk 503 crore from Tk 434 crore, said the sources.
Under the revised proposal the construction firm will get Tk 388 crore as against Tk 331 crore it quoted in the tender while the consultancy firm around Tk 14 crore as against Tk 13 crore, sources said.
The NCT project involving Tk 737.24 crore was approved on May 12, 1999 to be implemented in two phases.
The project cost includes Tk 434 crore for developing infrastructure of the container terminal at New Mooring area and Tk 296.24 crore for installation of handling equipment.
China Harbour won the tender quoting a price of Tk 331 crore for construction of the terminal with five berths over two other bidders, including Hyundai that quoted Tk 431 crore.
Sources said difference between the prices quoted by the lowest and second lowest bidders raised a question at that time.
After winning the tender China Harbour started delaying the construction work demanding a revised and increased cost for the project on the plea of price hike of construction materials, sources added.
Despite facing a threat of confiscation of its "earnest money", the firm later succeeded to have an assurance of raising the project cost in several phases exploiting loopholes in the agreement signed with the government, they said.
China Harbour had already drawn around 80 per cent of the construction cost with only two of five berths completed, said the sources.
About the delay in implementing the project, Project Director (PD) Engineer Sirajul Islam of Chittagong Port Authority attributed land acquisition for this.
"It took us as long as 28 months to get the land acquired for developing back-up facilities, including the yards behind the berths," he said.
"We got the acquired lands to hand them over to the contractor for development in June 13 this year and after dynamic decompaction of the land we could make two of the berths ready for formal operation on September 4," he said.
Sirajul claimed construction of all the five berths have been completed.
Three yards, each measuring 20,000 square metres, were developed behind three berths, including the two that underwent operation in September.
The tender specification did not include yards behind two other berths, he said.
He said time had to be extended to develop backup facilities for the berths and rerouting the existing structures like railway tracks, PDB and Wasa connection lines running through the acquired land.
Regarding the raise in the project cost, Sirajul said an additional amount of Tk 30 crore had to be spent when they paid Tk 70 crore as land acquisition and dislodgement money as against Tk 40 crore.
Besides, inflation of dollar and rise in prices of construction materials increased the project cost, he added.
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