The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council’s (ECNEC) recent approval of the MRT Line-5 (Southern) and the cost revisions for MRT Line-1 and Line-5 (Northern) -- totaling an extraordinary Tk 2.5 lakh crore -- tells us that Bangladesh remains committed to expanding its urban infrastructure.
There is, of course, nothing wrong with this. Expanding mass transit is undoubtedly essential to relieve the capital city’s crushing congestion.
Yet, allocating capital on this unprecedented scale demands absolute financial accountability, meticulous execution, and a guarantee that every taka spent delivers direct, tangible improvements to daily life.
Mega-infrastructure projects in Bangladesh have historically suffered from a familiar set of systemic vulnerabilities: Frequent implementation delays, extensive cost overruns, and administrative bottlenecks.
When project budgets balloon, the public rightfully demands transparency into why original estimates fell short. External loans from foreign partners like Japan and the Asian Development Bank must be repaid by taxpayers; therefore, cost escalation, which has unfortunately become standard operating procedure, cannot remain the norm for how our nation functions.
Prudent financial management must go beyond initial approvals and funding arrangements. The relevant leadership and project authorities must implement rigorous oversight mechanisms, strict project timelines, and transparent auditing process from inception to delivery.
Ultimately, infrastructure is only as good as the benefit it brings to average citizens. A multi-billion-dollar metro network should not merely serve as a symbol of modernity -- it must translate into safer commutes, reduced traffic bottlenecks, improved air quality, and predictable travel times across the capital.
Large-scale public investment requires equally large-scale discipline. If we continue to fail in our management of these funds, and if inefficiency continues to be our status quo, the risk of unsustainable fiscal pressure will overshadow the very benefits these megaprojects are intended to bring.