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10 FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017 DT News When will we have a BRT? Other development projects overlap Bus Rapid Transit route, construction cost doubles • Shohel Mamun SPECIAL The average traffic speed in Dhaka is now only 7km per hour, according to recent data from World Bank. A BRT bus, however, could operate at 25km/h along the suggested routes. So why has Bangladesh not succeeded in developing a BRT system to ease the pain of commuters in Dhaka? Many other major cities in the world have Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems including Delhi, Bangkok, Jakarta and Shanghai. Rio de Janeiro opened its BRT system for the 2016 Olympic Games last summer. Dar es Salaam, the Tanzanian capital city of five million people, has recently launched its BRT system, just three years after the plan was adopted. It has earned the city authorities the prestigious “Sustainable Transport Award 2018” as the first African city to adopt such a system. A BRT system can ensure a smooth and comfortable journey since the buses run within dedicated corridors through the middle of the road, with little scope for congestion as other vehicles are denied access. Buses can drive through without any interruption and BRT buses can even be given priority when passing through intersections. Commuters can catch BRT buses from dedicated stations by paying in advance through smart cards. BRT projects are cheaper than building new flyovers or highways because they involve limited construction and are normally based on existing routes. Bangladesh had planned to build three BRT systems around 20 years ago to improve Dhaka’s traffic system and reduce emissions, but now the authorities say they will build only two BRT routes due to a shortage of space on existing roads. The first route will be constructed along a 42km stretch between Shibbari in Gazipur and Jhilmil near Keraniganj in Dhaka. Another 36km line will be built on the capital’s eastern edge, according to the Revised Strategic Transport Plan (RSTP). The 42km project, called BRT line 3, was launched by the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry in 2010 but its progress is currently below 5% and the civil work is yet to start. It will be implemented in two parts: from Gazipur to Dhaka airport (20km); and from the airport to Keraniganj (22km). The cost of the Gazipur and Airport part has been set at Tk2,040 crore and the Airport to Jhilmil section at Tk4,747 crore. The total cost for BRT line 3 of Tk6,787 crore is more than double the initial estimated cost of Tk3,034 crore. Officials from the Road Transport and Highways Division and officials involved in the project say the major cause of rising costs are loopholes in the preliminary design, three revisions of the design due to overlap with other projects, and negligence of the implementing authorities. However, MAN Siddique, secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have no experience building a BRT, but we have already overcome the challenges. Hopefully the project will be implemented by 2019 as per plan.” Progress of Gazipur-Airport section Land development work for a depot for the BRT line 3 project started late last year and is still ongoing by a local firm, nearly four years after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid its foundation stone on October 31, 2013. The PM inaugurated the construction work on July 26, 2016. The Roads and Highways Department signed a Tk2,040 crore deal with China Gezhouba Group No 6 Engineering Co Ltd on December 1, 2016, for the building of Line 3 including a 16km road corridor, flyovers and 25 stations. In addition, the Bridges Division will build a 4km flyover at Tongi for a further Tk855 crore. The Asian Development Bank, France Development Agency and Global Environmental Facility will finance the project. “Under the project we will build six flyovers, 32km of footpaths, a depot in Gazipur and an eight-lane bridge over the Tongi river, which has raised the cost,” BRT (Gazipur-Airport) Project Director AQM Ikram Ullah said. “The BRT will also need 48 hectares of land to develop the depot. While most of it is public land, Tk1,107 crore has been spent to acquire the rest, with a rehabilitation cost of Tk268 crore.” Articulated buses will run on the BRT at a cost of Tk392.4 crore. Prof Shamsul Hoque of Buet’s department of civil engineering said there is no need to build a separate infrastructure for BRT. “Building two dividers on the existing roads would have sufficed. Even land would not have been necessary,” he said. “All that would be necessary would be some stopping points for the passengers. Also, the traffic light system should be upgraded to prioritise the BRT system.” Progress of Airport-Jhilmil section The project authority says Dhaka South is more congested than the north and so this is a challenge for the second phase of the BRT line 3 project. The draft design was changed three times, delaying its completion and raising the cost twice from an initial Tk2,747 crore to the current figure of Tk4,747 crore. As per the design - which has been funded by the World Bank - the main bus corridor, intersection modification, 16 stations, underpasses, box culverts and bridges will cost a combined Tk1,019 crore. The cost for feeder roads, drainage and footpaths has been set at Tk488 crore. Mohakhali terminal reconstruction and bus depot construction cost is Tk1,163 crore. Keraniganj bus depot cost is Tk132.5 crore. BRT transportation system cost is Tk163 crore. The cost of automated fare collection and ticketing system is Tk52 crore. The Shantinagar-Keraniganj flyover is not in the RSTP, but Rajuk is implementing the project which has become another major block for the BRT route. As a result the project authorities are trying to redesign the route, which may now end at Mohakhali. “The project authority’s thought for an alternative is that if the BRT is finally built between Gazipur to Mohakhali instead of Keraniganj, the authority will install two shuttle bus services from Mohakhali bus terminal to Farmgate and another from the terminal to Gulistan,” PD Anisur Rahman said. • Source: Dhaka transport co-ordination authority website
29 platoons of troops deployed in flood-affected districts • Tribune Desk CURRENT AFFAIRS News 11 FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017 Four Points by Sheraton Dhaka launches Fish Market Festival • Tribune Desk METRO DT The army has so far deployed 29 platoons of soldiers in the northern region of the country as flood situation kept deteriorating there. In the latest move, the army sent its members along with speedboats and rescue equipment in Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari and Panchagarh following the government’s order, said a press release issued by the Inter Service Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) yesterday. The army also increased its troops and rescue equipment in Dinajpur, Gaibandha, and Rangpur districts and Syedpur upazila under Nilphamari. The army members are not only engaged into rescue operation and protection of embankments, but also started providing necessary relief and medical assistance to the flood-affected people. Till date, they rescued over 2,000 people and a number of cattle, and recovered a large cache of household goods. They have also assisted the local administration to repair damaged embankments in Syedpur and Gaib- ISPR andha. According to the press release, the army is monitoring the flood situation and prepared to provide any kind of support in the flood-affected areas. • Four Points by Sheraton Dhaka has launched Fish Market Festival featuring its new chef Stefen Babits, who is an expert in Mediterranean, Thai & European cuisine to provide a new taste of era. The festival started on August 17 and will continue until August 26. The festival is offering the guests to enjoy the variation of local, foreign and sea fishes, such as Lobster Bisque, Mediterranean tomato fish soup with seafood, seafood salad, lobster cocktail, fresh lobster and caviar live station, Thai Basil “Asian Style” with multi preparation along with live stations and signature desert options. The buffet dinner costs Tk4,000 per person. • COURTESY Parjatan Corporation observes Mourning Day • Tribune Desk METRO Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation has observed the 42nd martyrdom anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman amid due solemnity. Marking the National Mourning Day on Tuesday, the corporation organised a number of programmes including commemorative discussion at a Dhaka hotel, says a press release. Presiding over By Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation Chairman Akhtaruz Zaman Khan Kabir, the discussion was attended, among others, by Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon and Bangladesh Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Dr Md Nasir Uddin The corporation also held a storytelling contest, and later on, special prayers were offered for Bangabandhu. Earlier in the day, officials and employees of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation paid their tribute to Bangabandhu by placing floral wreaths before his portrait at Dhanmondi 32. • COURTESY On Wednesday, Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB)’s Sports, Culture and Welfare Association organised a discussion session and milad mahfil to mark the 42nd death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) central office. A blood donation drive was also organised during the event Eid Week sale starts at Pickaboo • Tribune Desk METRO Online electronics store Pikaboo kicks off it’s Eid Week sales ahead of Eid al-Azha, which will continue till August 22. With this offer, consumers will be able to enjoy discounts on TVs, ACs, smartphones, kitchen appliances, laptops and other featured electronics. These offers will be available by cash on delivery, card swipe on delivery and online payment purchases through all major bank cards with a three-day product return policy option. •
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