Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday ordered an investigation into the prolonged delay in completing the Khulna Shipyard Road Expansion and Development Project which has remained unfinished for more than a decade despite repeated extensions.
The directive came at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), held at the Public Administration Conference Room of the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
An official present at the meeting said the project, which was approved by ECNEC in July 2013 was originally scheduled to be completed in 2015.
However, implementation began only in January 2022, causing significant delays.
The official said the project has now achieved around 70 per cent physical progress in over three years of work.
However, the contractor reportedly became untraceable after withdrawing bills, and the road improvement work was left incomplete for a long period, leading to the cancellation of the contract on August 7 last year.
At the ECNEC meeting, the official said the issue of repeated delays and the failure to achieve expected progress was discussed in detail, and the Prime Minister expressed his displeasure over the matter.
Contacted, Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibly said even after 12 years and repeated extensions, the desired target has not been achieved in the Khulna Shipyard road project.
“So, the Prime Minister has directed that the reasons behind the 12-year delay be thoroughly investigated and those responsible be identified and brought under action,” he said.
Originally, the project was awarded to a joint venture of Ataur Rahman Ltd and Mahabub Brothers Pvt Ltd under the Khulna Development Authority (KDA) at a cost of Tk 98.90 crore, with a two-year completion target set for June 2015.
However, the work did not begin on time and multiple extensions were granted—first for one year, then two years, followed by several further revisions—eventually extending the timeline by nearly a decade.
Despite these extensions, the project remained incomplete, with only partial physical progress achieved.
The cost of the project also increased significantly over time, rising to around Tk 259 crore before being slightly revised to Tk 254 crore.
Officials said the Prime Minister also stressed ensuring accountability in public project implementation to prevent similar delays in future.
LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Power and Energy Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku, Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir, Water Resources Minister Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain, Agriculture Minister Aminur Rashid Yasin, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon, and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam, among others, attended the meeting.
State ministers, advisers and secretaries of different ministries were also present.
The ECNEC meeting was held ahead of the upcoming national budget for the 2026–27 fiscal year.
