The Dhaka North City Corporation has missed the deadline for completing work on an escalator foot bridge in the capital’s Banani area which was due to open on November 30.
Officials of Dhaka North City Corporations have blamed the ongoing political unrest for the delay while construction work at the site was yet to be completed.
Md Mofizur Rahman Khan, executive engineer of the project, said: “The foundation work is going on and due to the blockade programmes contractors are scared to work.”
“After finishing the construction, engineers of the contractors of the project, MAQ International, will install the escalator. If the political situation remains normal, the escalator is expected to arrive in the capital by December 15. I hope footbridge can be opened for public use within this year,” he said.
Besides, DNCC will apply to Dhaka Electric Supply Company (Desco) for power connections for escalators, Mofizur said.
However, General Manager of MAQ International, Syed Mohammad Abduhu told the Dhaka Tribune that the delay was caused as it took time to get the DNCC approval for the footbridge’s design.
“A Bangladesh-Malaysian joint venture company was the consultant, who had prepared the detailed design, which was then sent for DNCC’s approval. Only after getting the approval could we start work,” he said.
The company has been awarded Tk20crore for building a total of 18 bridges across the capital.
“It is going to be the first footbridge with escalator in the country,” Abduhu said.
Sub-contractors of the project, Horizon Techno Ltd, are importing the escalators from Malaysia.
Chairman and CEO of the company, Md Shahid Ullah said: “We have opened a letter of credit (L/C) with one of the private banks. We will import the escalator as soon as the contractors finish construction.” Earlier on September 30, Chief Engineer of DNCC Brig Gen Md Abul Khair said the bridge would be completed by November 30.
The bridge will have two moving staircases and is being constructed as part of the Clean Air and Sustainable Environment Project (CASE) under the Ministry of Environment & Forests. The World Bank has provided Tk3b for the CASE project.