Shifting of Karwan Bazar wholesale kitchen market to three separate places of the capital is yet to be completed even after seven years.
The authorities concerned have failed to provide a certain date for the completion of the project work, blaming lack of sufficient fund among some other problems behind the delay.
With the aim to shift the Karwan Bazar kitchen market to Mohakhali, Aminbazar and Jatrabari, Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) started the work during the last caretaker government in 2006.
After the division of DCC, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) became the authority of the project.
Project Director Abdur Razzque told the Dhaka Tribune: “Construction of the three markets is delaying due to lack of sufficient money.”
“The LGRD ministry stopped providing money to the project. Now only the city corporation is funding the project, which is not enough,” he said, adding: “We hope the construction will be complete within June, 2014.”
However, an official of DNCC, requesting anonymity, said the project would not be completed before December, 2014.
High officials of the DNCC said 75% work of the total project had been completed, in which construc-tion of Mohakhali wholesale kitchen market was fully finished, and 65% of Aminbazar and 85% of Jatrabari had also been completed.
Visiting the project site at Aminbazar recently, it was found that two out of three buildings of the pro-ject were constructed while the other one was delayed.
The DNCC officials blamed the delay to a land dispute and a stay order from the High Court.
On the other hand the construction of Mohakhali kitchen market is in the last stage, while the con-struction of Jahrabari kitchen market was halted due to insufficient money and land dispute.
Officials said a total of 360 shops were planned for Mohakhali, 895 for Jatrabari and 527 for Aminbazar kitchen markets, allocating Tk3.31bn for the project.
Completion of the project was due in June 2010, but the authorities extended the deadline to 2014.