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The new coronavirus attack is wreaking havoc on the world’s 10 largest and most talked about projects in the country’s energy and infrastructure sector. 5 projects have closed, 5 projects have stalled, creating uncertainty about the timely completion of projects.
Many of the big projects are multinational. Financing the project, most of the assets, contractors, consultants and key engineers are foreigners. If there are no foreigners, the work will not go. Again, foreigners are unemployed without domestic workers. Even if the products don’t arrive, the work stops.
Some of the foreign workers and officials have left Bangladesh due to Corona. Most of the local workers have gone home. There is tension in the goods.
These 10 major projects are in the bridges, highways, railways and energy sectors. The total cost of these is 3 lakh 8 thousand crore rupees. These projects were resumed after the formation of the Awami League government in 2009. Due to various reasons, the work of almost all projects did not go as planned. As a result, time and cost have increased. Now the new addition is Corona-Uncertainty.
Ministry of Road and Bridge Transportation in 3 of the 10 projects. These are: Metro Rail, Padma Bridge and Karnafuli Tunnel construction projects. The work of the former has stopped. The work of the other two has been reduced somewhat. The total cost of these three projects is more than Tk 60,000 crore.
The Ministry of Railways has three other major projects. These are: construction of a railway line on both sides of the Padma Bridge, construction of a new railway line at the Dohazari-Cox Bazaar in Chittagong, and construction of the Akhaura-Laksam double-width mixed line. Work on the first is limited, the other two are closed. The cost of these three projects is approximately 74,000 crore rupees.
Sources close to the Ministry of Highway and Rail project say that a large number of Chinese workers and engineers are in Bangladesh. The goods also come from China now. Many other foreigners have left, including Europe, the United States, Australia, Japan, and Korea. The products do not come from many countries. As a result, the job is stuck.
The remaining four of the top 10 projects are in the power sector. These are the projects to establish coal-based power plants in Payra, Rampal, Matarbari and Rooppur. The first two are closed. The total cost of the four projects is approximately 1.62 lakh crore, two thirds of which are for Rooppur.
Bangladeshi workers in Matarbari and Rooppur have demanded that work be stopped. The authorities of the two projects have not yet decided on that. However, the Minister of State for Energy, Energy and Mineral Resources, Nasrul Hamid, told Prothom Alo that his ministry was asked to stop working on projects in the current situation. At this time the workers will receive a payment, no one will get a job.
Former Secretary Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan worked on the economic impact of large projects. According to him, the existing trend of cost overruns as the project hangs may further increase Corona’s situation. First, he said, to reduce the pressure on the economy, you need to think of ways to launch work in phases. Even if workers are kept in certain areas and Kovid-19 is tested, the work has to start.
The Matarbari authorities are firm.
Ignoring the demands of the workers, the authorities continue the construction of the Matarbari coal power plant in Cox’s Bazar. The center is operated by Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (CPGCBL), an organization of the Department of Energy of the Ministry of Energy, Energy and Mineral Resources. Some 3,000 workers are working there now.
Some workers closed the power project area on April 9-10, demanding a closure. However, CPGCBL did not meet the demand. Police were deployed to handle the situation. Striking workers also said that in the event of confinement, everyone should be paid for three months and no one should be fired.
Executive director of CPGCBL. Nazrul Islam told Prothom Alo: “There is no dissatisfaction of the workers. Matarbari is working 24 hours a day. The work will continue.
The generation capacity of the plant will be 1,200 MW. The project, funded by the Bangladesh government and the Japanese government’s international aid agency JICA, also includes the construction of a port. The project started in 2014. The construction contractor was named in 2016. The center is slated to go into production in 2024.
Work on Rooppur ‘continues’
Bangladesh has signed an agreement with the Russian Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom), a government agency of the Russian Federation, for the construction of the Rooppur nuclear power plant in Ishwardi in the Pabna district. The contractor for the construction of the plant is Atomstroy Exports, a subsidiary of Rosatom.
Rosatom said in a press release on April 12 that work on the project has been completed so far, adding that construction work is still ongoing in Corona.
However, on March 26, when a Belarusian project official had a fever and sore throat, the local administration closed the house rented by him and other foreign officials in Ishwardi Sadar. However, a day later, Rosatom’s South Asia office said in a press release that the officer had not been infected with the new coronavirus.
Construction of a total of 2,400 MW in the two units began in 2016. It is expected to finish in December 2025.
Rampal and Pigeon’s work stopped
Construction of the coal-based pigeon power plant in Kalapara upazila in the Patuakhali district is halted due to the crown situation. Here are two 1,320 MW power plants. The first unit of the first center went into production last year. Construction of the second unit and the second power plant is underway.
The 1,320 MW coal-fired power plant near Sundarbans in Rampal in the Bagerhat district was slated to go into production in 2016. It was later stopped in 2019. Construction is not yet complete. The coronavirus stopped working.
Padma Bridge has lost momentum
During the Corona period, two steel structures (sections) of the Padma Bridge were installed on posts. The work still continues. However, some senior project officials said at first glance that work has decreased by 40 percent in March compared to last February.
Authorities fear the work will be even less this month. They say that if the crown outbreak continues, it may need to fall into disrepair. As of last March, 6 percent of the general work and 8 percent of the work on the main bridge had been completed.
More than 4,000 Bangladeshi workers work on the Padma Bridge project. As for the officers, 1,500 of them have gone on leave. Some return. However, before joining the job, they must observe 14 days of quarantine.
The authorities do not want Bangladesh workers to return to work now. Everyone who is working is kept in certain places at both ends of the project area. They are not allowed to leave the place. It will be difficult to organize more staff.
The project employs thousands of Chinese workers. About 100 of them left Bangladesh and have not yet returned.
Officials are seeing a few more challenges to keep the job going. These are: having a supply of cement; Timely delivery of goods from China and retention of foreign consultants.
The cement for the Padma Bridge comes from factories in Narayanganj. There is an outbreak of coronavirus. Also, there is a raw material clinker crisis. As a result, an adequate and regular supply of cement can be at risk.
41 steel sections must be installed on the Padma bridge. So far 26 have been installed. All seats were said to be installed in July. Authorities say that if that is not possible, the bridge may not be commissioned as announced in June of next year.
More than 200 foreign consultants worked on the Padma Bridge project. Among them are citizens of various western countries, Japan, Korea and Australia. About 25 people have already left Bangladesh. Some have reported and will not return.
Construction of the Padma Bridge project started in 2014 after a few steps. It was supposed to launch in 2016. It was postponed to 2019, then to June of next year.
Only Chinese workers in the Karnafuli tunnel
A tunnel is being built under the Karnafuli River with Chinese funds. The contractor is also from China. Inside the tunnel, work is underway to build a ring or sheet of 6 meters per day. No more working at night. Also, work abroad is closed.
Now more than 200 Chinese citizens are working. Almost all the experts are from China. A major source from the project says work in the tunnel will not stop entirely. Chinese citizens are not likely to leave Bangladesh.
However, if domestic workers are not available, work will not accelerate. In addition, uninterrupted products must also come from China.
The project contractor, a joint venture between the governments of China and Bangladesh (G2G), is China Communication and Construction Company (CCCCC). 51 percent has been done. 3.4 km of tunnels, roads and overpasses are being built at the bottom of the river.
The contractor was hired the following year for the 2015 project. But work began in late 2016 as the Chinese government did not deliver the money on time. The duration of the project has been extended until December 2022.
Metrorail closed in Corona
The government plans to launch the first Dhaka metro train in December next year. But work on this project stopped during the Crown period. As of last February, 41 percent of the project was completed.
The metro train will run 20 km from Uttara to Motijheel. Work to Agargaon should be completed sooner. That job is approximately 70 percent advanced. About five kilometers of flyover have been built so far. Railroad installation began.
Some senior officials on the project say work has stalled for two reasons. First, all the native workers have gone home. Second, the goods do not come from abroad. Italy’s electrical equipment shipments were boxed but were unable to board the ship.
Similarly, products from different countries do not arrive, including India, Belgium and Switzerland. Even the factory has closed. However, officials hope that factories in China have been opened and that products come from there.
The government approved the Metrorail project in 2012. The following year, it signed a loan agreement with JICA. The main work started in 2016. Part of it was supposed to be released last year. Two years late.
Status of railway projects.
Among the three most important railway projects, the construction of railway lines at both ends of the Padma Bridge is underway. Work on the other two relatively low budget projects has come to a complete halt.
A high-ranking source on the railways told Prothom Alo that local workers could not be found. Many foreign engineers and workers have also left the country.
The project to build a 179 km railway line from Dhaka to Jessore through the Padma Bridge is underway with Chinese funds, G-to-G method. The contractor is also a Chinese company China Railway Group.
The loan agreement for the project was signed in 2016. However, the work started last year. Then the Crown period began. এখন চীনা কিছু নাগরিক কাজ করছেন, স্থানীয় কোনো কর্মী নেই। এক-চতুর্থাংশ কাজ সম্পন্ন হয়েছে।
চট্টগ্রামের দোহাজারী থেকে রামু হয়ে কক্সবাজার পর্যন্ত সরাসরি রেলপথ তৈরির কাজ শুরু হয়েছিল ২০১৮ সালের জুলাই মাসে। প্রকল্পের মেয়াদ শেষ হবে ২০২২ সালের জুনে। এখন পর্যন্ত এক-তৃতীয়াংশ কাজও হয়নি।
চীনা একটি প্রতিষ্ঠানের সঙ্গে যৌথভাবে কাজটির ঠিকাদার ম্যাক্স প্রকল্পের সঙ্গে প্রথম আলোকে করতেন পরিস্থিতিতে তাঁরা ১ ১ ১ ১ ১ ১ ১ ১ ১ ১ ১ ১ ১ ১ ১ ১ ১ ১ ১১ চলে গেছেন। ৬০-৭০ জন চীনা নাগরিক আছেন, কিন্তু তাঁরা কাজ করতে পারছেন না।
আখাউড়া থেকে লাকসাম পর্যন্ত মিশ্রগেজের ডবল লাইন নির্মাণের প্রকল্পটির কাজ শেষ পর্যায়ে এসে করোনার কারণে বন্ধ হয়ে গেছে। প্রকল্পটি নেওয়া হয়েছিল ২০১৪ সালে। চলতি বছরই এই রেলপথ চালু করার কথা ছিল।
রেলের মহাপরিচালক মো. শামসুজ্জামান প্রথম আলোকে বলেন, দুর্যোগের ওপর তো কারও হাত নেই। তবু পদ্মা সেতুর রেল যোগাযোগ প্রকল্পের কাজ কিছুটা চলছে।
মো. বেলায়েত হোসেন সড়ক, জনপথ ও সেতু মন্ত্রণালয়ের সেতু বিভাগের সচিব। তিনি অবশ্য বললেন, তাঁদের পদ্মা সেতু আর কর্ণফুলী টানেলের কাজ বন্ধ হয়নি। তবে সব কাজেরই গতি কিছুটা কমেছে।
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