Bus Rapid Transit Line-3: Ecnec halts project revision, decides to probe

Instead of approving the revised proposal for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Line-3 project on the Dhaka-Gazipur route, the government has decided to launch an investigation into the long-delayed scheme plagued by multiple issues and setbacks.

"We're in trouble with the Gazipur to Airport BRT project… The civil works are nearly complete. The plan was to have buses every three to five minutes, which requires a lot of buses. This unplanned mega project is beyond comprehension," Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud said yesterday.

"We've decided to investigate who made the original designs and how the feasibility study was done," he said after the meeting of the ECNEC (Executive Committee of the National Economic Council), which declined to approve the hastily submitted revision proposal for the project.

"At this moment, no final decision has been made. For now, we're holding off," he said, adding that the investigation committee will include local and, if needed, foreign legal experts and urban transport specialists to review everything.

The project authority sought Tk 2,329 crore more and five additional years to complement the project aimed at building the country's first 20 km-long dedicated bus corridor between Airport and Gazipur to make communication between the two cities smooth and fast.

Formally known as the "Greater Dhaka Sustainable Urban Transport Project", it was approved in November 2012 and was originally planned to be completed by December 2016 at a cost of Tk 2,037.9 crore.

But the long delay was caused by issues relating to land acquisition, relocation of utility services, design changes, contractors running out of money, and the pandemic. Moreover, physical work was suspended twice.

As a result, the total project was revised thrice, taking its cost to Tk 4,268.3 crore, and the latest deadline was December 2024.

Once the dedicated rapid bus service comes into operation, it is supposed to allow people to reach Dhaka from Gazipur in 35-40 minutes, which can now take between one and a half hours and three hours.

Till June this year, the project saw 97.43 percent progress, according to the progress report.

However, the project got a setback after miscreants damaged 22 escalators to be used for elevated stations on the route during last year's student movement in July.

After the political changeover in August last year, the adviser to the road transport and bridges ministry decided to reassess the project.

As per the assessment, the ministry proposed to extend the project deadline up to December 2029 and raise the cost to Tk 6,597.66 crore, which is Tk 2,329.33 crore more than the revised cost, the document shows.

Acquisition of more land for bus depots, additional civil works, hiring consultants for developing a bus operation model on the corridor, and some other issues are the reasons for the cost escalation, read the documents.

But, after the ECNEC meeting, the planning adviser said foreign experts who evaluated the project couldn't believe it. "They've seen similar systems in Jakarta and elsewhere but couldn't understand why the BRT lane was built down the centre of the road, blocking all east-west pedestrian and vehicular movement.

"Who designed this? Why wasn't it considered that BRT systems are meant for areas with fewer crossings and less foot traffic? This BRT has become a massive barrier, preventing people from crossing and increasing accident risks."

"Was a study done to assess the demand? We've decided to investigate who made the original designs and how the feasibility study was done. Such an unusual project demand assessment would require asking: who will ride it? Even if there's demand from Uttara, major inconsistencies remain."

Regarding each station having escalators, Wahiduddin said, "In Bangladesh, these don't last long. Most public escalators stop working soon."

"The original project cost was about Tk 2,000 crore but now, completing everything will require around Tk 6,500 crore," he said, adding, "The project started in December 2012. If it takes another 4-5 years, it'll break the record for the longest-running mega project in Bangladesh."

"Around 3,000-4,000 crore has already been spent -- mostly from foreign loans. What do we do now? If we proceed and buy all the buses, how much more will it cost? The revised cost is about Tk 6,500 crores. Will the benefits be worth it?" he questioned.

Meanwhile, the adviser said they have problems with contractors and project directors.

"IMED is preparing a report. We want a full report. Why so many contractors fled. Proper investigations should be conducted to identify those responsible."

"How much money was wasted or embezzled? How accountable are the project directors and other officials?" he asked.

Contractors involved in projects worth Tk 890 crore under three state agencies -- Roads and Highways Department, Bangladesh Railway, and Local Government Engineering Department -- have fled, Kamal Uddin, secretary of Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) told reporters.