According to DMTCL sources, in order to build an additional 15-kilometer railway line for the Metrorail, two government agencies, Bangladesh Railway and Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), as well as about six acres of privately owned land would have to be acquired. Acquisition and rehabilitation of this land will cost Tk 1,015 crore. The rest of the money will be spent on building infrastructure. A proposal in this regard has been sent to the Planning Commission for approval.
They did not say in which mouza, in which spot the land would be acquired. It has been asked on what basis one thousand crore rupees has been shown for land acquisition.
Mamun Al Rashid, Member (Secretary), Planning Commission
The project titled 'Metrorail Line Six' was first approved in 2012. After a decade, DMTCL wants to add some new work including increasing the length of the railway line. In addition, the company wants to build three new station plazas and Transit Oriented Development (TOD) for additional revenue. Passengers are not dependent on the price of the ticket, the plan is to market. If the proposal of DMTCL is passed, the length of metro rail will be 21.17 kilometers.
With the addition of these additional works, the cost of the project will increase from Tk 21,985 crore to Tk 33,471 crore. In other words, the cost of Metrorail is increasing by Tk 11,046 crore. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will provide a loan of Taka 19,065 crore to cover the overall cost of the project. The government will provide the remaining 13 thousand 696 crore.
Out of the additional expenditure of Tk 11,046 crore in the project, Tk 3,030 crore has been earmarked for acquisition of six and a quarter hectares of land for three station plazas and Tk 93 crore for construction of three station plazas. The construction of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) will cost Tk 6 crore.
The remaining Tk 6,496 crore will be spent on construction of 15 km railway line from Motijheel to Kamalapur. Of this, Tk 1,015 crore has been spent on land acquisition, Tk 348 crore on VAT on import of railway construction materials and Tk 322 crore on installation of electrical and mechanical systems (E&M). Apart from this, the trial run or experimental operation of Metrorail will cost Tk 200 crore for electricity bill. Planning Commission officials say the extra money would not have been spent on land acquisition if there had been a long-term plan.
From the beginning of the Metrorail project, there were plans to build a railway line to Kamalapur. But since the route was not determined then it could not be done. Now the route has been determined.
M. A. N. Siddique, MD, DMTCL
After scrutinizing DMTCL's proposal for additional expenditure, the Planning Commission has made a number of observations. Commission officials have questioned the details as to how much land will be acquired in Moujheel to Kamalapur, how much land will be acquired, or how the cost of land acquisition will be met for the construction of additional 15-kilometer railway line.
Asked, Planning Commission member (secretary) Mamun Al Rashid told Prothom Alo , "We have written to DMTCL seeking details of additional land acquisition for the Metrorail project. Because, in which mouza, in which spot the land will be acquired, they did not say anything. It has been asked on what basis the cost of land acquisition has been shown to be one thousand crore rupees.
However, Mamun Al Rashid also said that this is the first such project in the country. Everyone has new experiences. So a lot of new things are being added.
The Department of Road Transport and Highways, meanwhile, questioned why Station Plaza and Transit Oriented Development (TOD) were not planned when the Metrorail project was being surveyed. At the same time, the road transport department has a question as to why so much money is being spent on land acquisition. At a meeting of the steering committee of the project on January 12, Road Transport Secretary Nazrul Islam said the cost of government exchequer for acquiring new land was increasing by 156 per cent, which was unwelcome.
According to DMTCL, work on the Metrorail project has progressed by 70 per cent so far. Metrorail from Uttara to Agargaon is scheduled to be inaugurated by December this year. Metrorail is scheduled to be launched till Motijheel by December next year (2023). DMTCL has asked for time till December 31, 2025 to complete the entire work up to Kamalapur.
When asked, DMTCL Managing Director (MD) MAN Siddique told Prothom Alo that the idea was to build a railway line to Kamalapur from the beginning of the Metrorail project. But since the route was not determined then it could not be done. Now the route has been determined. He added that land acquisition would cost Rs 1,000 crore. Because, there is private land. There are also installations. All the information requested by the Planning Commission regarding land acquisition will be provided.
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