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Dhaka: Lee Zhang Ha, leader of the consultant team for the revised study project Feasibility Study (First Amendment) for the construction of the railway line from Bhanga in Faridpur to the port of Payra. He is a Korean citizen.
His monthly salary has been set at Tk 19.49 lakh.
In addition, an expenditure of 1,559 lakh Tk per month has been proposed for transportation economist, geotechnical engineer, railway engineer, environmental specialist, hydrologist, signal engineer, telecommunications engineer and stroke specialist.
The salary allocation of foreign consultants in foreign aid projects is usually in accordance with the proposals and conditions of the country that finances the foreign aid organization. But the Planning Commission has said that the salary allocation for foreign consultants is too high for the government-funded implementation. After a detailed discussion in this regard, the Commission agreed to reduce the salaries and benefits of foreign consultants to a reasonable level and to fix the salaries and benefits of local consultants in accordance with the Public Procurement Law of 2006 / Public Procurement Regulations of 2006.
Even so, owning one is still out of reach for the average person. On 2 December this year, Planning Minister MA Mannan approved a revised study project entitled ‘Feasibility Study (First Amendment) for the construction of the railway line from Bhanga Junction (Faridpur) to Barisal via the port of Payal with preparation of detailed design and tender documents.
The total cost of the project has been estimated at Tk 49.96 crore. The cost of consulting services under the project is 18 crore 22 lakh 26 thousand taka. Also, Tk 7 lakh has been spent on advertising. Expenditures of 33 lakh Tk 15 thousand have been made for car rental, 6 lakh Tk for office supplies and other sectors. Under the project, the travel allowance has been set at 8 lakh Tk in the honorary sector. 4 lakh 40 thousand have been spent in the office equipment sector.
When asked about a consultant’s monthly salary set at Rs 19.49 lakh, Planning Minister M Mannan told banglanews that the salary structure for foreign consultants is much higher. In that continuity, more expenses have been incurred in this project. However, the cost of consulting should not be that high. Consulting costs on the project should be reduced.
According to Bangladesh Railway, a consultant is paid more because of their qualifications. Project manager. Shahidul Islam told banglanews that the Korean consultant is paid a lot for his qualifications. However, technology is being transferred. Hopefully our boys will one day be qualified to do these things. Then there will be no need to hire foreign consultants with more money.
He added that the survey will be completed in 21 years. After this, the main project will start.
According to sources from Bangladesh Railway, the project will determine the alignment of the broad gauge railway line to Bhanga-Payra, conduct a project feasibility study, and protect the project’s policy, economic and financial viability, and environmental and social impact. The total cost of the project will be calculated, including detailed engineering drawings and project design preparation. The scope of the consultants’ work will also be recorded along with the preparation of the bidding documents for the project.
The Padma Multipurpose Bridge is being built to establish direct communication with Dhaka in the south-west and south of the country. The ‘Padma Bridge Rail Link’ project has been approved for the installation of a railway line on the Padma Bridge. The acquisition of land is underway for this project. If the project is implemented, the communication distance between the Dhaka-Jessore region and Khulna will be reduced. On the other hand, the government has undertaken the construction of a deep sea port in Payra. For the port to be profitable, the government believes it needs to be incorporated into the rail network.
With the construction of the new railway line, the distance from Dhaka to Barisal via the Padma Bridge will be reduced to about 185 km and the journey will take only 4 hours. The main project will start in June 2021 after the completion of the survey. In the first phase, a 100 km railway line is being built from Bhanga to Barisal. In the second phase, a railway line will be built from Barisal to the port of Payra in Patuakhali. There are two main tasks of the survey project. The first is to conduct a feasibility study for the construction of a railway line from Faridpur to the port of Payra with detailed design and preparation of bidding documents. The second work is: Detailed topographic survey, hydrological and morphological study in mathematical model. The two activities are being completed in six packages.
Bangladesh time: 1344 hours, December 16, 2020
MIS / AJ
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