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It's December now for Khilgaon flyov

PM's displeasure hastens work

SABRINA KARIM MURSHED
The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) is anxious to complete the construction of the Khilgaon flyover by December following Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's reported dissatisfaction about the delay in the project.
Work on the flyover began in September 2001 under a Tk 74 crore budget. It was scheduled to be finished by February 2003. But it missed the deadline apparently due to delayed fund allocation from the government and a slow land acquisition process.
LGED officials had told The Daily Star in November last year that the flyover's work would be completed by June 30, 2004 but it missed the second deadline also. "The Prime Minister asked us to finish the construction by December 16 and we are trying hard to meet that deadline," said a senior official of LGED adding that almost 82 per cent work of the 2,505-meter long flyover was done and around 41.36 crore taka was already spent.
The flyover has been designed with three wings connecting Khilgaon, Rajarbagh and Syedabad.
"At least 21 out of the 36 loops of the girder and 16 loops of deck slab along with three ramps are yet to be constructed," said the official.
He dismissed suggestions that the construction could be delayed again due to the installation of a Shock Transmission Unit (STU) to prevent earthquake damage. "The Khilgaon flyover has been made earthquake proof with an in-built design using rubber pads," he said.
LGED insiders said that construction was hampered in the past because of slow disbursement of funds but at present they were getting the money smoothly. Sources said already Tk 44.69 crore out of the estimated budget of 74 crore had been received.
However, land acquisition at Sayedabad has stalled the construction work. Officials said that 0.44 acres of land belonging to the Public Works Department (PWD) waits to be transferred to the LGED.
"There is a six-storied building on the land owned by PWD and we are unable to construct the surface road and footpath unless we demolish that establishment," said a high-ranking official of LGED.
Lack of security is also a constant problem for the people working on the site.
An armed gang of around 25 hoodlums allegedly took away 10 meters of telephone cables from the 11-meter deep ditch near Sayedabad rail station that had been dug up to construct a 130-meter long ramp of the flyover.
"We can not keep it covered as compaction work is going on there," said an official.
"The miscreants peel off the rubber cover and melt the copper cable inside before selling it," said another official of LGED.
LGED sources said that around 50 people employed by the contractor armed only with sticks patrol the construction site which can hardly be called adequate security.