United News of Bangladesh

The construction work of the long-awaited Gollamari Steel Arch Bridge over the Mayur River of Khulna is going on at a snail pace on several grounds, including disagreements between the implementing organisation and the contractor, and insufficiency of budget. Investing Tk 67.66 crore, the Ministry of Road, Transport and Bridges started implementing the project under the supervision of Khulna Roads and Highways. Though it was scheduled to be completed by March this year, only 19 percent of the work has been finished over the past 16 months. Vehicles and commuters have to face immense suffering for use of a single lane on the Khulna-Chaknagar-Satkhira regional road over the river. The disagreements between the contractor and the implementing agency Khulna Road and Highways Division, budget discrepancies and an unresolved extra 20% payment (around Tk 13-14 crore) for variation works were mainly blamed for the delay in the work. Contractor farm National Development Engineers Limited predicted that it will take time to complete the work if the issue of additional 20% funding is not resolved. Sources said the work order of the Gollamari Bridge was approved on October 1, 2023, with the physical work beginning on October 8 of the same year. Read: Over 40% construction work of Metro Rail’s Motijheel-Kamalapur section completed Due to delay, a new deadline was set till June 30 of the current year. But, apparently it seems that it is quite impossible to end within the timeframe. The lack of prior experience in constructing such a steel network arch bridge within the Road and Highways Department, and technical issues with the design were also attributed behind the delay. Though the bridge's design is similar to that of Dhaka's Hatirjheel project, it incorporates several improvements and is technologically advanced. Once completed, it will be the first steel network arch bridge under the Roads and Highways Department in Bangladesh. Talking to UNB, Project Director Apurba Kumar Biswas said early design issues, such as insufficient piling for the bridge, delayed the project further. In addition, unexpected work involving 12-meter seat piles added an additional Tk 2 crore in costs. The RHD has yet to decide whether these extra costs will be reimbursed. Adviser Fouzul Kabir instructs to complete BRT project construction work by 2024 The bridge, once completed, will be an iconic addition to Khulna. However, due to material costs, including steel, and the additional technical challenges, the project is expected to exceed the original contract value by Tk 13 to 14 crore, he said.

The construction work of underground metro rail will be inaugurated on February 2, said Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) authorities on Tuesday. “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the underground metro rail around 11 am at Purbachal New town area, said MAN Siddique, Managing Director of DMTCL. Read more: Dhaka underground metro rail: Inauguration of construction work on February 2 A public meeting will be held at Rajuk Commercial Plot near Rupganj Jamta High School on the occasion, said DMTCL MD. A depot will be built on 88.71 acres of land in Pitalganj involving Tk 607.65 crore, though which the construction work of the underground metro rail will start, said Siddique. All metro trains of Airport route and Purbachal route will get the opportunity of using the depot, he said. Read More: Dhaka Metro Rail Uttara to Agargaon Route: A Detail Overview

Kushtia Medical College's ambitious hospital building project was approved way back in 2011 and construction work began two years later. More than nine years on, the building is still under-construction.