Allocation for the Tk20,507 crore fast-tracked Padma Bridge project has been cut by Tk235 crore in the revised FY 2014-15 budget because of delays in project implementation, officials said.
According to the latest Bridges Division review, just 5% of main construction work had been completed as of March.
The revised FY2014-15 budget, including supplementary approvals and allocation demands, was published yesterday by the Finance Division.
A Finance Division official said because the project is politically sensitive, larger reductions were not made.
The prime minister also opposed major decreases in allocation to the project, the official, who asked not to be named, said.
“The Planning Ministry slightly reduced the total allocation in the revised budget, from capital expenditure and revenue expenditure,” the official added.
According to the revised budget, capital expenditure on the Padma Bridge project was reduced by Tk179 crore from Tk7,761 crore to Tk7,582 crore.
Revenue expenditure for the Padma Bridge project was reduced by Tk56.42 crore from the current budget allocation of Tk338.78 crore.
In the revised budget, the total allocation for the Padma Bridge project stood at Tk7,865 crore, down from the previous allocation of Tk8,100 crore.
Project Director Shafiqul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday: “We did not propose the decreases. The cuts were decided by the concerned authorities and is an administrative matter.”
The bridge’s project director said the main construction work would start in October. A 2,400 tonne hammer, needed for piling, is expected to arrive from Germany this month. Test piling for the bridge began in January.
The percentage of physical progress of the Padma Bridge project’s Jajira connection road, Mawa connection road and Service Area 2 was 40%, 40%, and 28% respectively, according to the minutes of the review meeting.
Just 3% of river training work had been done.
When asked about the low work output, Shafiqul said: “We cannot measure actual progress of the Padma Bridge due to the complex work of the fast-tracked project.”
On September 10, the government awarded the river training work to China’s Sinohydro.
On June 17, it signed an agreement with China Major Bridge Engineering Company for the construction of the approximately 6.15-kilometre bridge span. Work is set to start in November and be completed by 2018.
In the three-year delay that followed allegations of corruption raised by the World Bank, the cost of the government-funded project went up by Tk4,000 crore, Bridges Division officials said.
The 2018 target completion date is three years behind the original schedule.
