Within six months of laying foundation, the construction work of the Moghbazar-Mouchak integrated flyover in the capital has been put on hold due to infrastructural problem in setting up pillars and a lack of sufficient space for manufacturing construction materials.
Online news agency banglanews24.com reports, heavy machinery used in the work were stowed away at Sidheshwari ground near Mouchak.
Use of all kinds of heavy machinery has been on hold since the first week of July.
Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), and Toma Construction and Company Limited will complete the project in a joint venture.
A stretch of 2.22km out of 8.25km-long flyover would be constructed by Toma Construction while LGED will construct the rest of the 6.03km.
After commencing piling work for the flyover, the construction company has found many utility cables and pipelines such as WASA, electricity and T&T cables on the stretch of land.
Construction work is being kept on hold as piling without shifting the utility lines may cut off electricity and water connections in the adjoining areas, according to concerned authorities.
Construction firms said the heavy machinery cannot be used for piling unless the pipelines and cables, which were installed about 8-10 years ago, are shifted.
Respective organisations have already been asked to shift their underground service lines, to pave the way for construction work.
Najmul Alam, project director of LGED, admitted that they have found some utility supply lines underneath the project ground that need to be shifted.
He also acknowledged that the authorities have been facing an acute lack of open space, which is necessary to house the heavy equipment and construction materials.
Earlier, they had rented Shidweshari ground for Tk1.2m to store the equipment and manufacture the construction materials, but faced with mounting protests from locals they can no longer make use of the space.
Locals alleged that the construction work resulted in noise and air pollution, and later they even moved to court to file a lawsuit regarding the matter.
People in relation to the project said the construction work would be hampered severely if the field were to, eventually, be taken away from the construction firms as no such ground is in place in the neighbouring areas.
Awlaad Hossain Sheikh, director of Moghbazar-Mouchak integrated project, said the construction work is being delayed as locals have been protesting against using Shidweshari ground.
In these circumstances, the director apprehended that they might miss the deadline for the project's completion.
The Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover project was started to help ease the traffic at eight intersections of the Moghbazar-Mouchak road.
The intersections are Satrasta, FDC, Moghbazar, Mouchak, Malibagh, Shantinagar, Rampura, Chowdhurypara and Ramna thana roundabout.
