The construction of Purbachal link road missed its deadline as the project was being implemented at a snail’s pace and repeatedly suspended.
An alleged indifference of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha is attributed to the failure to complete the project within the deadline.
The construction of 300-feet wide Purbachal link road started in October 2011 and was scheduled to end in April this year, and later the deadline was extended to August this year.
Earlier, the Roads and Highways Department was tasked with the link road construction in the year of 2000, but the Rajuk took it back in 2009 in the wake of the RHD’s failure.
In 2010, the Rajuk took the decision to implement the road on fund of Purbachal new town project.
Rajuk is now implementing the road at a cost of Tk350crore. The under-construction 13-kilometer link road – 6.5 kilometres from Kuril flyover to Balu bridge on river Balu and 6.5 from Balu bridge to Kanchan bridge on Shitalakkha – a gateway to the capital.
Only 50% of the construction work has been done in the northern and eastern parts.
The Rajuk is now facing trouble in implementing the link road as the contractors stopped construction demanding additional funds reasoning out rise in cost of construction materials.
The suspension of construction work came at a moment when the link road assumed a far greater importance than any other previous time after inauguration of the Kuril flyover, as one of its ramps was inked to the Purbachal link road.
Md Mukul, a resident in Isapura, also owner of a piece of land acquired for the road, claimed hundreds of people used the link road daily.
The CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver told the Dhaka Tribune: “People living in Kuril, Khilkhet, Barua, Dumni, Isapura and different adjoining areas are using the road as a short-cut which saves time as well.”
“I drive auto-rickshaw on the road, but because of its incompletion it is difficult for me to run the vehicle,” he added.
Mukul also claimed on each trip from Khilkhet to Kanchan Bridge he carried 4-5 persons charging each Tk70 as fare.
Azahar Ali, resident in Dumni said they were not riding vehicles comfortably because of potholes and bumpy ride.
“Only a few CNG-run auto-rickshaws and battery-run three-wheelers are available on the road. Except those, no other vehicles are seen to ply,” he added.
Rajuk officials said the 12-lane road was planned to have a four-lane expressway with two service roads on its both sides.
The road has seven bridges, six underpasses and two culverts.
When visiting the link road, the Dhaka Tribune correspondent found only a few auto-rickshaws and private cars particularly from different private housing companies were plying out there.
Although the road is incomplete, the brides and culverts are almost complete.
Contacted, Rajuk Chief Engineer (implementation) Md Emdadul Islam admitted that the construction work of the link road had been suspended.
He told the Dhaka Tribune: “The construction is now halted following continuous blockade and strike. The contactors are not carrying construction materials and thus the construction was temporarily suspended.”
In reply to a question on demand of additional fund by the contactors, Emdadul said, “For delay in construction, we canceled the agreement with the former contractor ACL-RP Construction, and CTCL-Monico, another contactor, is now under observation.”
“We already appointed a new contactor – National Civil Engineers Limited, and it will start construction after the next January 5 polls,” he added.
The Rajuk chief engineer also said they would take decision about the CTCL-Monico, observing its performance after January 5.