Bangladesh
Padma Bridge Establishment of brigade for security of Padma bridge; completion time increased
Dhaka, November 30: A 99 composite brigade is being set up to oversee the construction of the Padma Bridge and to expand the national security including the safety provisions of the bridge. To this end, the project 'Establishment of 99 Composite Brigade (First Amendment) for overall safety of Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project' is being implemented. This time the second amendment of the project is being brought, it is increasing its time and the cost is also changing.
Sources said that the project director Mohammad Sajjad Hossain had made such a proposal at a recent meeting of the project steering committee on the project held at the Ministry of Defense.
The original cost of the project was Tk 987.30 crore. In the first amendment it was increased to Tk 1,320.37 crore.
Regarding the cost of the Second Amendment, Project Director Mohammad Sajjad Hossain said that the completion cost of some parts is less / higher than the approved First Amendment DPP as the work is done as per the design prepared and approved by the experienced consultant.
In addition, approval of the Second Amended DPP / Inter-Sector Coordination is required to compensate for the deforestation of the area acquired for the project and to coordinate the ancillary matters including the noise control system of the firing range.
The project started in July 2015. It was supposed to end in June 2019. When it was not over, the term was extended till June 2021 with the first amendment. Proposing the Second Amendment, it is now being proposed to extend the time till June 2022.
In this regard, the project director Mohammad Sajjad Hossain said, "Due to the Covid-19 lockdown, the implementation of the project was stopped for about 5 months at the time of progress of the work. Heavy rains have also disrupted work in the area and contractors have taken longer to bring in construction materials as ferry connections are often closed.
This has hampered the implementation progress of the project. Considering these issues, it will not be possible to complete the work by June 2021. In order to complete the work of the project smoothly, it is necessary to extend the time till June 2022."
