Government has extended the deadline for the road construction project from the Kalurghat Bridge to the Chaktai Khal in Chattogram by another year, as work remains stalled due to complications in land acquisition.
Despite approximately 82% of the work being completed and over Tk 2,200 crore already spent, a new timeline has been set to finish the project by June 2026, reports UNB.
Approved in July 2017 with an initial budget of Tk 2,775.39 crore, this project is being implemented by the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works.
The original completion date was set for June 2020. However, the deadline has now been pushed back for the fourth time, with previous extensions granted until 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025. Notably, while the timeline has been extended once more, the project’s total cost has not been increased.
According to official documents, the project’s timeline has been extended multiple times due to delays in land acquisition and technical complexities. The initial approved cost was Tk 2,275.52 crore. This was later revised upward to Tk 2,310.24 crore in the first amendment and further increased to Tk 2,775.39 crore in the second amendment.
The ministry said that the project is crucial for protecting the Chaktai, Khatunganj, Bakshirhat, Bakalia, Chandgaon, and Kalurghat industrial areas from tidal water and flood risks. Additionally, its objectives include alleviating traffic congestion by creating a link between the Dhaka-Chattogram and Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highways, improving communication systems, and safeguarding the city from tidal water ingress as a component of the proposed Outer Ring Road.
As of March this year, 82% of the visible work and about 79% of the expenditure (Tk 2,203.59 crore) were completed. However, the construction of a 2-kilometer road and two regulators is currently on hold due to complexities in disbursing funds for land purchase.
The project’s scope includes the construction of a 1.5-kilometer embankment-cum-connected road, 12 regulators at the mouths of canals, slope protection, retaining walls, and a waterway.
The second revised Development Project Proposal (DPP) was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on August 16, 2022. The tender for the remaining work was approved in July 2023, and the contract was signed the same month. However, compensation payments were halted because the Finance Ministry suspended allocations for land acquisition in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 fiscal years, consequently suspending all related work.
An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated, ‘The process of revising the DPP is currently underway to secure the release of funds for the remaining land acquisition.’
He added, “Although the stipulated deadline was June 2025, it has been extended by one year until June 2026 to complete the project. However, no additional costs have been incurred this time.”
The Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) has approved the new deadline on the condition that all remaining work is completed according to the stipulated plan and a completion report is submitted within three months of the project’s conclusion.
The official also mentioned that directives have been issued to expedite the acquisition of the remaining 2 kilometers of land.
