Address the rot in our infrastructure sector

Development in Bangladesh’s infrastructure is often treated as the opportunity for various government and non-government entities to extract as much money for themselves as possible. A recent report by Prothom Alo sheds light on one such instance, where the web of corruption is so complex and spun so widely that one has to marvel at the audacity of those involved. The report narrates how funding acquired to upgrade a 190km highway from Elenga in Tangail to Rangpur into four lanes has also been used to construct various extravagant structures. Shockingly, these ventures are being constructed in the area in Dhaka’s Paikpara, around the Road Research Laboratory premises, which is not even remotely close to the project area.

Approved in 2016 under the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) and financed by a loan of more than Tk 11,000 crore from ADB, the project, titled SASEC Road Connectivity Project-2, is divided into 11 packages, nine of which are directly concerned with road and highway development. The aforementioned lavish structures are being built under the remaining two packages, contracted to one National Development Engineers (NDE), who initially acquired the work by bidding a cost that was 13.5 percent less than the RHD’s official estimate. However, over the following years, artificially underpriced components were dropped, and more expensive components were added, inflating the project cost by as much as 45 percent.

Not only has the construction of buildings in Paikpara incurred unnecessary costs, but it has also affected the surrounding environment and culture. One of three lakes on the laboratory premises has already been filled up, while around 1,000 trees have been felled. Additionally, buildings designed by the legendary architect Mazharul Islam have been demolished, despite a 2020 letter from the Institute of Architects Bangladesh to then Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, pleading for their preservation.

  It is difficult to believe that irregularities such as inflated costs, environmental degradation, and unending deadline extensions occur without political favouritism for certain contractors. NDE is no different. But given that it was backed by the fallen Awami League regime, why did the NDE still receive an extension for another two years, which pushed the project cost to Tk 19,056 crore? We urge the current authorities to investigate the damning irregularities found in this project. A lot of public trust has been eroded over the years due to such massive levels of corruption in development projects. It is crucial that the current government works to recover this trust and prevents it from eroding further by ensuring accountability in infrastructure development.