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Road Improvement, Maintenance

Govt seeks extension of ADB loan term

Staff Correspondent
The communications ministry yesterday requested the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to extend a loan agreement by one year to facilitate improvement of five major roads.
Communications Minister Obaidul Quader made the request during a meeting held at the ministry with an ADB team led by its country director Thevakumar Kandiah.
In response, without assurance Kandiah said, “we will revisit the matter.”
Briefing journalists after the meeting, acting communications secretary MAN Siddique said they requested some more time for the improvement works of the roads.
“ They assured us of considering the proposal,” he added.
However, sources in the communications ministry said ADB was reluctant to extend the loan agreement.
"The bank is planning to start new projects by wrapping up the ongoing ones,” an official toldThe Daily Star.
In 2004, Bangladesh and ADB signed a loan agreement ofTk 1223 under the Networks Improvement and Maintenance Project (RNIMP-II) to improve a number of roads through repair and expansion.
As per the agreement, to receive the fund Bangladesh would prepare groundwork for the roads, timely project the necessary components and make satisfactory progress to implement them. Besides minor repair of other roads, six were chosen for major development under the project.
However, only the Panchgar-Banglabandh road includingTetulia bypass road is expected to be completed by end of 2012, the deadline for the ADB loan.
Of the remaining five roads, 28-km Gaforgaon-Hossainpur-Kishoreganj, 33-
km Parbatipur-Fulbari-Madhypara and 16-km Nandail-Kishoreganj road will be half-done due to slow progress.
Construction workforthe5-km Chittagon-Dohaazari road is yet to start, as its contractor Islam Trader Consortium Limited, took no initiative to repair the road, leaving it in a sorrystate.
Inefficiency of concerned officials, bureaucratic tangle and land-acquisition-related complications are responsible for failure to improve the roads in seven years, said communication ministry officials.
In the meeting, upgrading the Joydevpur-Chandra-Tangail-Hatikumrul road into four-lane was also discussed.
The ADB team revised an estimated $250 million for the four-lane project. Earlier estimated cost was $190 million.
Feasibility study of the project has been completed. Construction work is expected to begin by June this year after completing design of the road.