Slow progress in upgrading 13.5 km to four lane.
There have been allegations of massive slow progress and various irregularities in the upgrading of 13.5 km to four lanes on the Jamuna Bridge-Dhaka Highway from Elenga in Tangail to the bridge roundabout. No initiative has been taken yet to construct a flyover, two underpasses and a service lane. However, the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BACEC) says that despite the slow progress of the contractor’s work, there is no scope for irregularities in terms of quality. They are monitoring the construction work around the clock.
It is known that since the inauguration of the bridge built on the Jamuna River on June 23, 1998, the Jamuna Bridge-Dhaka Highway has become an easy means of communication between 23 districts in the north and south. As a result, considering the need, the government took up the project to upgrade the highway to four lanes on a priority basis. After Kaliakoir in Gazipur, the four-lane upgrade work from Mirzapur to Elenga was completed. 18-20 thousand vehicles cross the bridge every day on that road, which increases several times during Eid.
As the work of upgrading the 13.5-kilometer area from Elenga to the bridge to four lanes was not completed, drivers and passengers traveling on the highway suffered serious hardship during the last Eid. According to sources from the Roads and Highways (RHD) Department, the contractor Abdul Monem Limited has been awarded the work of the four-lane upgrade project from Elenga to the Jamuna Bridge. The cost of the 13.6-kilometer highway to four-lane upgrade project has been estimated at Tk 601 crore.
Locals said that if there was no unnecessary delay in the work of the Abdul Monem project, it would have been completed long ago. About two kilometers of work has been completed on the bridge-facing and Elenga-facing sections of the highway. So far, the work of a flyover, a few bridges, two underpasses and service lanes has not been completed. There is a lot of negligence in their work.
Shafiqul Islam, Sallar Mamun, and many others from Jokarchar adjacent to the highway said that people around the highway are constantly suffering. As the day progresses, the pressure of vehicles on the highway increases drastically. In addition, several youths including local Hasmat and Quader said that the red sand being used in the construction work on the Jamuna Bridge-Dhaka Highway is of very low quality. They demanded that the construction supervision organization be strict.
Abdul Monem Project Manager Md. Rabiul Awal said that their work is progressing rapidly. Currently, about 65 percent of the work of upgrading the highway to four lanes has been completed. There is no negligence in terms of quality or durability of the work.
Basek Consultant Engineer Pulak Das said that the sand used for the work at Dhlatengar next to Bridge No. 5 has been suspended due to objections from the locals. The sand samples have been sent to the laboratory. If the laboratory tests find it acceptable, it will be used. Otherwise, it will be returned.
Basek Jamuna Bridge Site Office Executive Engineer Ahsanul Kabir Pavel said that they are continuously monitoring the work of upgrading the 13.5-kilometer four-lane road from Elenga to Jamuna Bridge. Abdul Monem is a renowned construction company in the country. There is no doubt about the quality of their work. However, he said that their work is slow.
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