Bangladesh News

The advisory committee on purchase yesterday sent back the project proposal for a dedicated four-lane highway between Dhaka and Chittagong.

The fate of the much-talked-about project, which was mooted to ensure seamless transport of exports and imports, now hangs in the balance after the advisory committee decision.

Finance Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam, who headed the committee meeting, told reporters that the project could not be approved due a string of legal complications.

The Executive Committee on National Economic Council (Ecnec) had approved the highway project in past January at an estimated cost of Tk 2,168 crore.

Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed put the project on the government’s list of priorities in order to help increase the efficiency of the Chittagong Port by easing transport of imports and exports.

The communications ministry however cancelled the work order after a fact-finding committee reported irregularities in the process, sources said.

The contractors later filed a writ petition with the High Court which is still pending.

The purchase committee had earlier sent back the proposal more than once due to faulty awarding of the contract, a high official of the ministry said.

The committee yesterday approved importing 25,000 tonnes of MOP fertiliser from Belarus under a state-to-state purchase contract, at a cost of Tk180 crore.

A Tk 18 crore project to develop land at Uttara Ideal Residential Project was also approved at the meeting.