The Awami League-led 14-party government is in a hurry to complete the Swadhinata Stambha project as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wants to inaugurate the structure within the rest of her tenure.
The Ministry of Public Works sought additional Tk90m from the treasury for development of the main structure of the Swadhinata Stambha on a 67-acre land of Suhrawardy Udyan.
A senior official of the ministry said public works ministry Secretary Dr Khandokar Showkat Hossain sent a proposal on Swadhinata Stambha to be submitted to next cabinet meeting of public purchase committee this week.
As per the project proposal, the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs targeted to complete the project last June, but failed to do so due to alteration to the main part of the statue.
As a result, the time frame of the project has extended to December this year with a total cost of Tk 1.46bn.
According to the public works ministry, a total of 80% of the project work has been completed, but in reality, the percentage of work done is only 50 per cent.
Last December, State Minister for Liberation War Affairs ABM Tajul Islam claimed that the inauguration of Swadhinata Stambha would be held this year on March 26.
One of the main election pledges of the Awami League government was to set up the Swadhinata Stambha, where Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered his historical speech of March 7 in 1971.
The project proposal included building 100-feet gas tower, underground museum, fountain, plaza square, VIP and service block, open stage, creating water body and setting up CCTVs, fire-fighting equipments and Shikha Chironton.
Project Director Mirza Muhammad Mizanur Alam told the Dhaka Tribune a total of 75% project work had been completed and the rest would be completed by December this year.
Awami league government initiated the project of Swadhinata Stambha in 1998 after assuming power in 1996, but in the last 14 years there had been little progress on the issue.