Work resumption could take a month: officials

Resumption of construction works near Dhaka Airport for Bus Rapid Transit Line-3, which witnessed two accidents on Sunday that left six workers injured, may take up to a month, officials said.

Meanwhile, a probe committee formed by road transport and highways division (RTHD) has started their work and would visit the spot today, they said. Besides, a team of Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) also visited the spot yesterday.

At least six workers, including three Chinese nationals involved in construction of BRT Line-3, were injured as a part of a launching girder fell on them while they were working near Dhaka airport.

The accident took place hours after a pier cap of an elevated section of the same BRT line collapsed early on Sunday, exposing serious weaknesses in safety measures.

A launching girder is a type of gantry crane used for lifting and installing girders of viaducts.

Of the injured, four got released from Evercare Hospital while two were still in hospital with one Chinese national in intensive care unit, a hospital official said.

The Tk 4,268-crore project, which witnessed several revisions of both cost and deadline, is being implemented by Dhaka Bus Rapid Transit Company Limited (DBRTCL), a government-owned company, to set up a 20.5km line for dedicated bus service from Dhaka airport to Gazipur.

Three government agencies -- Roads and Highways Department (RHD), Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) and Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) -- are involved in the implementation of various segments of the project.

The portion of the line near the airport where the accident took place is being carried out by RHD with their contractor -- China Gezhouba Group Co Ltd.

DBRTCL Managing Director Shafiqul Islam said it would take at least 15 days and up to one month to fix the launching girder and works of this portion would remained suspended till then. There is only one launching girder for this portion, he added.

The project was supposed to be completed in between December 2012 and 2016, but has witnessed 52 percent progress so far. The latest deadline of the project is June next year.

Asked whether the delay of works in the potion would impact the deadline, Shafiqul said: "Works of this portion may be delayed but it would be done within the total deadline."

The seven-member probe committee formed by RTHD by its joint secretary Anisur Rahman started work yesterday and are supposed to be submit their report within seven working days.

"We will visit the spot tomorrow," a member of the committee told this correspondent.

Meanwhile, DTCA has formed a three-member team with their officials yesterday, that would give a report within three working days, its executive director Khandakar Rakibur Rahman told The Daily Star.

"We have already visited the spot," a member of the team said.

The project is being implemented for dedicated rapid bus service between Gazipur and Shahjalal International Airport. Once operational, it will be able to transport 20,000 passengers per hour.

But the project faced many problems and eventually went through four revisions, taking the total cost to Tk 4,268 crore -- around 107 percent more than the original cost.