Notwithstanding allegations of irregularities in the dredger  procurement project, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the procurement of 20 dredgers and other necessary machineries worth Tk. 2,048 crore at a meeting yesterday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also the ECNEC chairperson, presided over the meeting held at the NEC conference room at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka. According to sources, no questions were raised regarding the project when a presentation was made in the meeting.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, planning minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said a total of seven development projects involving Tk. 2,384.85 crore were approved. Of the seven projects approved, six are new while one is a revised project. “Of the total project cost, Tk. 2,372.85 crore will come from the state exchequer while the rest Tk. 12 crore will be from the organisation’s own funds,” the minister added.
It has been alleged that the dredging procurement project was taken up to satisfy a certain dredging manufacturer group.
The move came despite objections from experts in the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA). Even the finance minister had raised questions over the procurement.
Experts said the procurement of 26-inch dredgers under the BIWTA would be illogical because they would only be able to dredge waterways whose depths are equal to or more than 10 feet. According to the project summary, 20 dredgers will be procured for the BIWTA to conduct dredging of 232.50 lakh cubic metres per year. Planning Commission sources said the shipping ministry had sent the details project plan (DPP) to the commission on October 15, 2014. The project evaluation committee on April 23 had recommended placing the DPP in the ECNEC meeting for approval by the country’s apex economic body.
The BIWTA will implement the project at a cost of Tk. 2,048 crore from July 2015 to December 2019. Under the project, BIWTA will procure 26-inch curter section six dredgers, 20 inch curter section nine dredgers, 18 inch curter section five dredgers, five oil barges, four water barges, 3200 shore pipes, 20 crane boats, eight tug boats, 20 crew house boats, eight officer house boats, five inland survey vessels, 10 survey work boats, 12 pipe carrying barges, 1600 floating pipes, 100 pairs of ball sockets, 500 rubber hose pipes, one pick up, one jeep and one microbus.
The planning minister said that under the project, 10 dredgers would be procured in the first two years while the other 10 will be bought in the last two years of the project. The ECNEC also approved the Sonahat Land Port Development Project, worth Tk 36.50 crore, to be entirely borne from the state exchequer where the Bangladesh Land Port Authority would develop the necessary infrastructure of the Sonahat Land Port to increase the storage facility of imported and exported goods between India and Bangladesh as well as to ease their transportation.
Under the project, there will be land acquisition of some 14.88 acres alongside some 106,500 for land development at the project site in Bhurugumari upazila of Kurigram district. The country’s apex economic body endorsed another project titled constriction of two 15-storey residential buildings for JCO and other ranked officials at the BGB headquarters with Tk. 58.69 crore. The BGB under the home ministry would implement the project by June 2015.