Her latest displeasure was aimed at two projects that were taken up in 2013 and 2017 respectively. They were up for revision at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday.

The projects are: Widening and Improvement of Khulna Shipyard Road (1st revised) project and the Land Acquisition for Road widening of Nangalbandh-Minar Bari part of Langalbandh-Kaikartek-Nabiganj district highway (1st revised) project.

"The prime minister has expressed deep disappointment. We are trying to find out why projects are being delayed. There is a lack of coordination," Planning Minister MA Mannan told reporters after the meeting.

The Khulna Shipyard Road Widening and Development Project was taken in 2013 at an estimated cost of Tk 98.91 crore. The cost has now gone up more than two times to Tk 259.21 crore.

The Khulna Development Authority is the implementing agency of the project, which has been initiated by the housing and public works ministry.

According to the project document, the cost of land acquisition rose as the district administrator fixed the price of 6.277 acres of land and properties at 1.5 times higher under previous rules and 1.026 acres at 3 times higher after the publishing of the gazette.

The design of the road has also changed. The road submerges by one foot to two feet during rainy seasons and tides for the last four to five years, the document said.

The road works as a protection bank to guard the city. So, during the designing, the consultant took into account the highest flood level.

The proposed road would be elevated by three feet to four feet more compared with the current road.

The subsoil condition of Khulna is not good, according to the document. To improve the bearing capacity of the subsoil, more pavements, bridges, culverts, drains, footpaths and retaining walls have been added.

The cost has gone up as the expenditure has been estimated on the basis on rate scheduling.  

If the road is built, it would ensure a safe and congestion-free traffic movement in the city. The Ecnec yesterday extended the deadline of the project to December 2022.

The road widening from Langalbandh to Minarbari project on the Langalbandh-Kaikertek-Nabiganj district highway under the Bandar upazila of Narayanganj aims at offering safety and time- and cost-efficient road communications.

The roads and highways department is the implementing agency.

When the project was first approved in February 2017, the government estimated the cost at Tk 121.57 crore. Now, the cost has gone up to Tk 260.42 crore.

Under the first revision, the deadline has been pushed to December 2021. The main component of the project is to acquire 8.84 acres of land.

The cost of the project has gone up Tk 96.44 crore because of the increase in the price of land and compensation in line with the latest land acquisition law. The amount of land has remained the same, according to the project document. 

Another Tk 42.30 crore has been included in the project in probable additional expenditure for land acquisition and compensation.

In total, the Ecnec approved six projects with an outlay of about Tk 1,137 crore.

Of the sum, Tk 1,028 crore will come from the government and Tk 108.30 crore from foreign sources as project assistance.

The other projects are Intensification of crops in the greater Mymensingh region project involving Tk 123.66 crore, Re-excavation of Titas River and Homna upazilas in Cumilla at a cost of Tk 76.25 crore; Protection of Jamuna River's Right Bank from erosion at Goghat, Khanbari and surrounding areas of Sadar and Sundarganj upazilas of Gaibandha project involving Tk 401.79 crore; and Char Development and Settlement Project-Bridging (Additional Financing) (BWDB part) with Tk 263.67 crore.

Both the prime minister and the planning minister joined the meeting from Ganobhaban through a videoconference, while other Ecnec members were connected from NEC Bhaban, reported UNB.