Burnt escalator of BRT project in Uttara during anti-discrimination student movement. Photo: File/Collected During the July-August anti-discrimination student
movement, the Uttara area in Dhaka became one of the major centers of the
protests. The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project is being constructed along the
Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway in this area. According to a report by the project's
contracting company, the financial damage to the project amounts to
approximately BDT 100 crore due to arson, vandalism, and the loss of various
equipment during the protests. This damage report will be presented at the 35th
board meeting of Dhaka BRT Company on Wednesday.
During the student protests, the BRT project, metro rail,
Dhaka Elevated Expressway, Hanif Flyover, and Dhaka-Mawa Expressway, among
other infrastructure of the Roads and Highways Division, were damaged.
According to information from the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, the
total financial damage to the Roads and Highways Division amounts to BDT 6.18
billion.
According to information from Dhaka BRT Company, various
parts of the 20-kilometer-long corridor, including infrastructure and
under-construction bus stations, have been damaged. Among the losses, 23
escalators, two lifts, two generators, water lines, and utility connections were
destroyed by fire. Approximately 100 square meters of pavement in the corridor
have been damaged. The project site office and various specialized construction
vehicles have been repeatedly vandalized and set on fire.
Additionally, damages include 1100 square meters of wall
tiles, 2000 square meters of stainless steel railings, 2500 square meters of
steel sheds, 600 meters of steel pipes, 3100 kilograms of formwork, six
electric hammers, four welding machines, two water tanks, two excavators, and
two road-cutting machines, among other infrastructure.
The Greater Dhaka Sustainable Urban Transport (BRT
Airport-Gazipur) project is being implemented under the Roads and Highways
Department (RHD) and the Bridge Division. The RHD is handling the construction
of the 16-kilometer at-grade section of the BRT corridor, which includes 19
stations. The elevated section, extending 4.5 kilometers via a flyover, is
managed by the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, which has six stations.
According to Dhaka BRT Company, the estimated financial
damage to the RHD's section is approximately BDT 90 crore, while the damage to
the Bridge Authority's section is estimated at BDT 9 crore.
Project sources reveal that were 57 escalators on site
for the section being implemented by the Roads and Highways Department (RHD).
Of these, 38 were affected, with 29 thoroughly damaged. The total financial
damage from the escalators alone exceeds BDT 55 crore. The Bridge Authority's
section has also damaged six escalators, each valued at 67 thousand dollars.
Regarding the damage, Dr. Md. Moniruzzaman, Managing
Director of Dhaka BRT Company Limited, told Bonik Barta, "The project's
contracting firm has carried out the damage assessment. This is an estimated
calculation, not a final figure. We have provided this assessment to the
ministry and relevant authorities. After verification, necessary steps will be
taken promptly."
Regarding the current status of the BRT project, he said,
"The project was initially scheduled to be completed by December 2024. We
are in the process of extending this deadline by another two years. The main
work on the BRT corridor is nearly complete. We have now initiated the process
of procuring buses. We can launch the BRT service immediately once these buses
are added to the fleet."
For context, the 20.5-kilometer-long Airport-Gazipur BRT
project was approved by the ECNEC in 2012. It took the next four years to
finalize the design and bidding process. Construction began in 2017 and is
still ongoing. The total cost of implementing the corridor is BDT 42.68
billion.
