Despite time extension and increasing the budget size three times, uncertainty looms large over exactly when the construction works of the Moghbazar-Malibagh flyover will complete.
The flyover, which has already earned a bad reputation as the country’s slowest project, would intensify woes of the people of adjacent area and also make situation hazardous to the commuters who pass through the site every day.
The people also fear that the situation will turn for the worst this year during the rainy season when other development works, including repairing of drainage system, are run by the City Corporations.
Now the timeframe has been extended again till June 2017. But the officials concerned were not sure whether the project could be completed in the stipulated time. Similarly, the budget of the project has also been increased three times. In the first phase, the construction cost was fixed at Tk 343 crore 70 lakh and in the second step it was increased to Tk 772 crore. Now, the cost has re-fixed at 1218.89 crore.
Project Director Prashanto Kumar Paul, however, said that they will work hard to complete the work in due time.
Keeping other sides incomplete, two portions of the flyover were opened to traffic movement a few months ago. Now, the vehicular movement is going on from Ramna to Tejgaon Satrasta [2 kms] and Eskaton to Wireless [1 km] portions.
Out of nine kilometers, the construction of six kms of the flyover is still incomplete. The project officials said that it will not possible to finish the construction work within the timeframe.
There is widespread allegation that construction work of the flyover is going on haphazardly, for which the dwellers have long been facing serious pollution problem daily. Apart from local residents, the traders and businessmen are also unhappy for the slow pace.
Not only that, the project site becomes very risky for not taking adequate safety measures by the contracting firm, especially at the Mouchak portion. On March 13, one person was killed and two others injured when a girder of Moghbazar-Malibagh flyover broke down, marking another case of sheer negligence.
The construction, operated by Toma Construction and Company limited, has witnessed four such accidents so far where four people were killed. Now, the vehicles along with the pedestrians are passing through the risky area.
“It’s obviously a big challenge for us to run a construction work at a busy area like Mouchak-Moghbazar where thousands of people and vehicles go through the area. It is not possible to arrange safety measures on the upper portion where construction of four km road is going on,” Prashanto Kumar Paul said.
While visiting the spot, it was seen that construction work is going on without any safety measures at Rajarbagh, Malibagh, Shanti Nagar, Mouchak. It is very hard for people to walk through the site as slabs, girder, pillar and other materials have been kept choking a major portion of the road. Besides, traffic jam in this part of the city is a regular phenomenon.
An official of the construction firm requesting anonymity said it would not be possible to complete the work by June.
The project got approval on March 8, 2011 from the ECNEC [Executive Committee of the National Economic Council] but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction work on February 16, 2013. It was scheduled to complete the work within two years, but the project completion period was extended untill December, 2016 as the design was revised.
