The government is likely to allocate some Tk 36.219 billion (36,219 crore) funds for seven ongoing mega projects in the budget for forthcoming financial year (FY) 2019-2020. The mega projects are Padma Multipurpose Bridge, Padma Bridge Rail link, Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar-Ghundum Rail Line, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Matarbari Power Plant, Metro Rail and Payra Sea Port.
According to sources in the Planning Commission, in the proposed Annual Development Programme (ADP) with an outlay of Tk 2, 15,114 crore for FY20, Tk 1, 93, 363 core will be sanctioned for the ongoing development projects. Of the total ADP allocation, 19 percent is going to be allotted for the aforementioned 7 ‘fast track’ projects.
Among the mega projects, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project is likely to get the highest-or Tk 14,980.7 crore allocations in the upcoming budget. The Metro Rail project is going to receive the second highest allocation – or Tk 7,212.63 crore. The country’s dream project, Padma Bridge is going to be the third in the list in terms of getting ADP allocation. The government’s highest-priority project is going to get a Tk 5,371 crore outlay in the forthcoming budget. Besides, the ‘Padma Bridge Rail Link Construction Project’ is likely to get Taka 3,995 crore.
The planning ministry also proposed to allocate Taka 3,056 core for Matarbari 2600 MW ultra-supercritical coal fired power plant. Meanwhile, Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar-Ghundum Rail Line project is likely to get Tk 1,105 core while Payra Deep Sea Port and Matarbari Power Plant are going to get Tk 500 crore and Tk 213 crore allocations respectively.
According to a highly placed official in the Planning Commission, rural development is going to get special priority in the coming days. The government is committed to reach all modern civic amenities to every village. To this end development of infrastructure and communication system is very crucial, he said, adding that increased allocations for the mega projects in the forthcoming budget will help the attain the anticipated development goal.
He, however, stressed the need for more efforts to bring pace to the implementation process alongside increasing budgetary allocations. Sources with the Planning Commission said Rooppur nuclear power plant project, the country’s first ever project to cross 1 lakh crore size, will get Tk 14,980.7 lakh in the upcoming budget.
In the project taken up at an estimated cost of Tk 1,13,092.91 crore, a total of Tk 16,665.25 crore was spent till February last. The overall project has achieved 15 percent progress so far. In the current fiscal year Tk 11,099.26 crore was allocated for the project initially, which has been raised to Tk 11,313.18 crore in the revised ADP. According to that count, the project is going to get Tk 3,667 crore more in the coming fiscal than in the ongoing fiscal.
Although Tk 4,395.66 crore was scheduled to be allotted to Padma Bridge project in the last fiscal, later the amount was reduced to Tk 26,560 crore in the amended ADP. In the next fiscal, Tk 5,370.69 crore would be allotted to the project aimed to strengthen communications between the capital and the south-western districts, increasing Tk 2,714.69 crore from the allotment of the amended ADP of the last fiscal.
On the other hand, construction work on the country’s longest bridge started in December in 2015. The bridge will have 41 spans, each of 150m. A total of 1,800 metres of the Padma Bridge became visible as its 12th span was installed earlier. According to the engineers concerned, a total of 41 spans will be installed on 42 concrete pillars.
According to the road transport and bridges ministry officials, the Padma Multipurpose Bridge is building with the government own fund while all the other projects are implementing with the support of bilateral and multilateral partners such as China, Japan and the Asian Development Bank. The national economy is expected to witness 1.2 percent GDP growth rate, while 0.84 percent poverty will be reduced every year after completion of the bridge to be built with an estimated cost of Taka 30,193.39 crore.
The first span of the Padma Bridge was installed on September 30, 2017. The second span was installed four months later on January 28, 2018 while the third one was placed on March 11, after one and a half months. Meanwhile Tk 3,995.2 crore would be allotted to Padma Rail Link project in the coming 2019-20 fiscal.
Until February last, around Tk 9,230.33 crore have been spent in the Tk 39,246.8-crore project, taken with an aim to establish rail communication between Dhaka and the south-western districts. Earlier Prime Minister Sheikh inaugurated the groundbreaking work of the ‘Padma Bridge Rail Link Construction Project’ unveiling a new horizon in the country’s rail sector development.
According to Railways Ministry sources, the first phase of the ‘Padma Bridge Rail Link Construction Project’ will establish rail link between Mawa and Bhanga via Janjira and Shibchar through the Padma Multipurpose Bridge. It will connect Dhaka, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Shariatpur, Madaripur, Faridpur, Gopalganj, Narail and Jashore.
The Chinese government-nominated contractor China Railway Group Limited is implementing the project under China G2G system. A loan agreement was signed with Chinese Exim Bank for $2667.94 million in this regard. Under the project, 23 km ballast-less elevated viaduct rail line will be constructed. The rail project taken to bring the tourism city Cox’s Bazar under rail communication – the Dohazari-Ramu-Cox's Bazar and Dohazari-Ramu-Ghundum single line dual gauge project – was allotted Tk 522.75 crore in the last fiscal. The project would get Tk 1,105 crore allocation in the next fiscal.
In the 2019-20 fiscal, Tk 7,212.63 crore would be allotted to the Mass Rapid Transit -6 project, taken to reduce traffic congestion in the capital. Until February last, Tk 5,860.19 crore had been spent for the Tk 21,985.07-crore project. A significant progress has been made in the construction work on the country’s first-ever metro rail project. According to project officials, the project is running ahead of the schedule and it is expected to be completed ahead of the stipulated time.
Of total cost Tk 22000 crore, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) giving in phases Tk 16,595 crore while the rest of the fund will come from the government exchequer. The first phase of the project is scheduled to complete by this year. The 12-km Uttara-Agargaon of the project is scheduled to end by this year.
The Tk 35,984.45-crore Matarbari 2600 MW Ultra Super Critical Coal-fired Power project was allotted Tk 2,827 crore in the last fiscal and it is going to get Tk 3,056 crore in the next fiscal’s ADP. The Necessary Infrastructure Development project for construction of Payra Deep Sea Port, one of the ‘10 Fast Track’ projects being implemented by the government with top priority, will get Tk 500 crore. The Tk 3,500-crore project was allotted Tk 552 crore in the last ADP.
