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Graft behind high cost of construction

Says Nagorik Oikya, launches campaign against state corruption

Staff Correspondent
The construction cost per kilometre of bridges, roads, flyovers, highways and elevated expressways in Bangladesh is four to five times higher than any other country in the world, claimed Nagorik Oikya, a political platform.
This was the result of massive corruption and was nothing but "the looting of public money," the platform said while launching a campaign against state corruption at the capital's Jatiya Press Club.
The campaign began with a slew of findings showing the huge difference in construction costs of vital infrastructures in Bangladesh compared to others.
Asked about the source of his findings, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, convener of Nagorik Oikya, told The Daily Star that a research team of the platform had prepared the presentation based on newspaper clippings and websites.
During the launch, Manna said the campaign was to "raise awareness in people through providing correct information on state corruption".
"We want to reach as many people within the quickest possible time through various modes of campaign including Facebook, ” he said.
The platform's findings showed that for railways, the disparity was even higher. Citing the example of Dhaka-Payra rail route, Nagorik Oikya said on average, per kilometre construction of railways around the world takes around Tk 12-30 crore, but in Bangladesh the cost stands at Tk 250 crore per kilometre due to massive corruption.
Citing a Global Financial Integrity report on money laundering from Bangladesh between 2005 to 2014, Manna said it could be assumed that around Tk one lakh crore is laundered every year from the country at present.
In a presentation, he showed how corruption involving Tk 75,000 crore took place in Bangladesh every year. These numbers were reached without taking corruption in mega projects into consideration.
He said the 6.15km Padma bridge costs Tk 40,000 crore so far, while the 9.15km Bhupen Hajarika bridge of India tookTk 1,150 crore.
Highlighting the alleged corruption in the Padma bridge project, Manna said per kilometre construction cost of the bridge now stood at Tk 6,500 crore while per kilometre construction cost of a bridge in India, China, Malaysia and Brunei was around Tk 500-700 crore.
About the corruption in elevated expressway, he said, "Construction cost of per kilometre elevated expressway in Bangladesh |Dhaka-Ashulia] stands atTk 700 crore, |while| the cost is Tk 250 crore in India, China, Malaysia and Hong Kong. In Vietnam the cost is Tk 205 crore."
Regarding flyovers, he said the per kilometre construction cost of those in Bangladesh was Tk 150 crore to Tk 180 crore, whereas the cost was Tk 48 crore to Tk 88 crore in India and Tk 80 crore to 90 crore in China and Malaysia.
He also claimed the construction cost of per kilometre four-lane roads in the country was Tk 59 crore on average while the same for Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga was Tk 95 crore. The cost was Tk 28 crore in Europe, Tk 10 crore in India and Tk 13 crore in China.
Additionally, he said the capital cost of per megawatt power in Rooppur Power Plant would be US $ 50 lakh, while in India the cost was US $ 30 lakh for Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant which was constructed by Russia.
Manna said a job seeker in Bangladesh usually needed to give a bribe of Tk 7 to 8 lakh to get a public job.
Political leaders and distinguished personalities, including Gonoshasthaya Kendra Founder Zafrullah Chowdhury, BNP leaders Khairul Kabir Khokon and Shama Obaid, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rob) General Secretary Abdul Malek Ratan, Dhaka Dialogue President Rieta Rahman, among others, spoke in the programme and called upon all to unite against state corruption.