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Work on 3 fuel storage tanks at Shahj al al airport stuttering

Shariful Islam
The construction firm appointed by Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) to build three fuel storage tanks at Shahjalal International Airport is yet to complete half of the project despite the deadline being just a couple of months away.
The government took up the project worth Tk 10.86 crore in July 2011 to enhance the main airport's fuel storage capacity to international standards. It was scheduled for completion in December 2012, but seeing the slow progress, the deadline was extended to December this year. As things stand, that too looks unlikely to be met.
The construction firm—a joint venture between S&H and Next Generation Graphics Limited (NGGL)—has so far completed less than 50 percent of the work, according to Abu Bakar Chowdhury, the project's supervisor.
Until July 15, the firm had finished only 15 percent of the work, which prompted the BPC to force it to design a definitive work plan. The project was supposed to be complete by August 31 under the plan, but the firm managed only 18-19 percent of the work in that timeframe, Chowdhury said.
The delay in implementation compelled the BPC to consider serving notice on the construction firm, but it ultimately decided not to as the firm sped up its work.
BPC Chairman Eunusur Rahman said: "I wonder how such a company got the job." Rahman was not in office when the firm was awarded the contract.
Kayum Khan Razu, assistant manager of administration at NGGL, however, asserted that 50 percent of the work has already been done and the remaining 50 percent would be concluded before the December deadline expires.
All equipment have already been imported and are waiting to be released from the Chittagong port, he said.
Asked why their pace of work was slow, he blamed it on the monsoon as "the majority of the work involved piling and it took time to check
whether the piling had the capacity to take the load".
Shahjalal International Airport has just one storage tank of a capacity of 2,700 tonnes, deemed to be insufficient for an airport of its stature. A prolonged strike by river transport workers or countrywide shutdown leaves the airport in danger of running out of fuel.
"With the political situation getting worse, we always remain in apprehension that any non-stop strike or blockade might hamper the fuel supply, and thus obstruct the operation of aircraft," said an official of Padma Oil, the aviation fuel supplier.
"All airlines operating from Dhaka more or less refill their aircraft here. If the reserves of aviation fuel are not sufficient, the airlines may be exposed to hazards," the country manager of a foreign carrier said, preferring not to be named.
Under the project, three fuel storage tanks, each having 2,500 tonnes of fuel storage capacity, will be constructed.