[🇧🇩] City Buses, Metro Rail, Urban Transport & City Road Infra

[Saif]

Govt to amend Metro Rail Act

The government is going to amend the Metro Rail Act-2015 to incorporate several sections, including amendments to facilitate the construction of underground metro rail, which is now ongoing.

www.thedailystar.net

Govt to amend Metro Rail Act
Facilitating underground rail main agenda; draft sent to ministry

The government is going to amend the Metro Rail Act-2015 to incorporate several sections, including amendments to facilitate the construction of underground metro rail, which is now ongoing.

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL), the implementing and operating agency of the metro rail, has already prepared a draft and sent it to the Road Transport and Highways Division under the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, officials said.

An ordinance, in absence of the parliament, will be issued upon completion of the necessary scrutiny and taking opinions from stakeholders, they added.

The move came at a time when DMTCL is implementing three metro rail projects, including the extension of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6, the country's first metro rail line.

The decision to amend the act was taken to make the law time-befitting and address some other issues. There won't be any major changes. An amendment to the act was proposed to make metro rail operations more effective. — Mohammad Abdur Rouf Managing director, DMTCL

Two other ongoing projects -- MRT Line-1 and MRT Line-5 (northern route) -- have underground sections.

The previous Awami League government in June 2013 formed the state-run DMTCL to construct metro rail lines and operate and maintain metro rail services.

The parliament passed the Metro Rail Act-2015 in January 2015 to devise the construction of metro rail lines as well as operate, control and maintain metro rail services.

"The decision to amend the act was taken to make the law time-befitting and address some other issues," Mohammad Abdur Rouf, managing director of DMTCL, told The Daily Star on Tuesday.

"There won't be any major changes. Amendment of the act was proposed to make metro rail operation more effective," he added.

A DMTCL official said the main issue for amendment of the act is related to the construction of the underground metro rail.

The official, wishing to remain anonymous, said although the existing law has mentioned the underground metro rail, it is not enough, so the change is needed.

The main issue for amendment of the act is related to the construction of the underground metro rail. The existing law is not clear about how the right of the land would be settled. So, the change is needed. — A DMTCL official.

For example, he said a major portion of MRT Line-1 and MRT Line-5 (northern route) will go underground. However, the existing law is not clear about how the right of the land would be settled. Thus the amendment is needed.

Settling this issue, through the amendment of the law, was a condition of JICA, the financier of both projects, another DMTCL official said.

Besides, some other issues like penalties linked with the operation of metro rail will be added in the amended law, he added.

Nafiul Hasan, additional secretary (urban transport wing) of the Road Transport and Highways Division, said "We have received a proposal, but are yet to review it. We will take the next step upon review."

The Uttara-Motijheel section of the MRT Line-6, which is being implemented at a cost of Tk 33,472 crores, was opened to the public in November last year and the Motijheel-Kamalapur section is now under construction.

The physical work on MRT Line-1 and Line-5 (northern route) began in March and July last year respectively, more than three years after the projects were approved in October 2019.

The project authorities of MRT Line-1, the country's first underground metro rail line, have so far been able to hire contractors for only one out of 12 packages. The project deadline is set for December 2026.

Under the Tk 52,561 crore project, the authority will build a 19.87km underground line from Dhaka airport to Kamalapur and an 11.37km elevated line from Dhaka's Natunbazar to Narayangan's Pitalganj.

Similarly, the project authority of MRT Line-5 (northern route) has so far hired contractors for only one out of 10 packages. The 20km line stretching from Hemayetpur to Bhatara will have underground and elevated sections. The deadline for the Tk 41,239 crore project is December 2028.

The authorities of MRT Lines 1 and 5 are now developing land for setting up depots.​

 

[Saif]

Bus route rationalisation should be expedited

AS CITIZENS suffer because of a chaotic transport situation, the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority says that more than a half of the routes for city buses are in an inactive...

www.newagebd.net

Bus route rationalisation should be expedited
23 November, 2024, 00:00

AS CITIZENS suffer because of a chaotic transport situation, the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority says that more than a half of the routes for city buses are in an inactive condition. Recent official data show that there are 388 routes for city buses, but 64.43 per cent of them are in an inactive condition. Of the 7,091 buses running on 128 active routes, 991 are plying the road every day without proper authorisation. Many companies are running their buses on routes without route permits. Npw, 2,018 buses run on routes other than the approved ones and 1,646 buses run without any route permission. The bus route rationalisation initiative, considered a sustainable solution to the disorderly and accident-prone city traffic, is yet to see the light of day. The policy control that transport owners’ associations had during the deposed Awami League regime has been primarily blamed for the delay. It is assuring that the transport coordination authorities have acknowledged the problem. It should now act quickly because people suffer every day in traffic congestion and many productive hours are lost.

Although the public transport sector has been one of the most corrupt sectors in the past decade, the interim government has not put in efforts to discipline the sector. While the authorities rightly point out that the lack of coordination between agencies is partly responsible for the situation, they, too, take ad hoc steps instead of providing a systematic plan with effective implementation strategies. The bus route rationalisation project office on November 11 announced that the transport companies can apply to run under Nagar Paribahan until November 30. Nagar Paribahan aims at all city buses under 22 companies which will then run on 42 routes and in nine clusters. The plan for route rationalisation for Dhaka is not new. What is needed is an effective implementation strategy. The plan was originally taken in 1997 under the Dhaka Urban Transport Project, which gained some momentum in 2015. In 2019, a High Court bench gave a directive to bring bus services in all metropolitan cities under the franchising system in six months. When it comes to regulating the sector, the government action seems to have revolved around the formation of committees and making plans or issuing recommendations. Meanwhile, the city roads continue to remain unsafe for the public.

The government should, therefore, take early steps to make all routes in the city operational and bring errant operators that run buses without route permits and fitness certificates to book. More important, the government should look into past failures and work out a time-bound implementation strategy for bus route rationalisation. The authorities should expedite the process of rationalising the routes, knowing that their implementation failure proved to be too costly for the public and that they are mandated to ensure road safety.​

 

[Saif]

Debt trap fear mounts over megaprojects

The megaprojects implemented mostly with foreign loans by the now ousted Awami League regime have left the nation with concerns over the debt trap amid the questionable expected returns...

www.newagebd.net

Debt trap fear mounts over megaprojects
Staff Correspondent 09 December, 2024, 00:11

New Age file photo

The megaprojects implemented mostly with foreign loans by the now ousted Awami League regime have left the nation with concerns over the debt trap amid the questionable expected returns.

The views have been expressed in the recently released the ‘White Paper on the state of Bangladesh economy’ rebutting the Awami policymakers’ tireless trumpeting that the megaprojects were crucial for achieving high growth.

Also serious questions remained centring the quality of the governance regarding projects’ implementation, their justification, viability, costing and financing, and returns, said the white paper written by 12-member committee headed by Centre for Policy Dialogue distinguished fellow economist Debapriya Bhattacharya.

Appointed on August 29, the committee submitted its report to the chief adviser on December 1, highlighting an average loss of $16 billion annually between 2009 and 2023 owing to the illicit fund flow amid systemic tax evasion, misuse of exemptions, and poorly managed public finances under the authoritarian Awami regime ousted amid a student-led mass uprising on August 5.

Projects having financial involvement of more than Tk 10,000 crore are defined as megaprojects, according to the General Economic Division under the Planning Commission.

Bangladesh has 29 such megaprojects whose total budgeted amount stands at around Tk 7,80,000 crore, equivalent to about $87.billion.

The then Awami League-led government declared nine of these ambitious megaprojects as fast-track projects that include—Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project; Multi Lane Road Tunnel under the river Karnaphuli; Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project; Padma Bridge Rail Link Project; Dohazari to Cox’s Bazar Railway Track; Payra Deep Sea Port; Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal Fired Power Project.

The revised budget for these seven projects now stands at Tk 1,95,116.87 crore, seeing a massive 70.34 per cent increase from the initially estimated budget of Tk 1,14,547.56 crore.

The two other fast-track projects are Maitree Super Thermal Power Project at a cost of Tk 16,000 crore, and Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant at Tk 1,13,092.91 crore which is still being implemented.

Identifying that almost all the nine fast-track projects are underwritten by significant external borrowings, the White Paper has found that terms of borrowings are rather stringent with repayment periods of some have either started or are set to start in the near future.

‘This will entail a significant rise in the country’s debt servicing obligations,’ the White Paper says, observing that estimates regarding the returns on investment have not been done following due procedures.

The overseas debt repayment hit more than three times higher to Tk 37,307 crore in FY24 than Tk 12,018 in in FY21.

A new projection by the government’s Economic Relations Division reveals that the foreign loan repayment will grow 53 per cent to around Tk 57,800 crore in FY25 against Tk 37,775 crore in the outgoing FY24.

For an example regarding the returns on investment analysis about the fast-track projects: although the construction cost of the Karnaphuli river tunnel escalated by 26.5 per cent between the development project proforma in 2015 and revised development project proforma in 2022, there was no change in the original estimates of financial analysis that includes returns on investment estimations.

The benefit cost ratio through financial and internal rate of return and net present value remained unchanged, mentions the White Paper, adding that the way cost-benefit analysis was carried out for long-term projects is also questionable and needs a serious review.

Cost estimates were done at constant prices, while benefit estimates were carried out on the basis of nominal prices. Oftentimes, returns were estimated without consideration of the time lag in the generation of benefits, the White Paper also mentions.

Having focused on four major factors—the high construction cost, absence of competitive bidding, constraints faced by the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division in doing independent evaluation of the fast-track projects, and devaluation of local currency taka against dollars by around 39 per cent in the past two years—the White Paper forebodes that the country may fall into a debt trap if the projects fail to yield expected returns.

The paper, while analysing the overall macro-economy, observes that the country’s external debt carrying capacity has weakened due to growing exposure to foreign currency-denominated nonconcessional loans taken for the megaprojects, elevated refinancing risks, and low fiscal and external buffers.

Referring to a CPD study, it has also said that the country’s external debt carrying capacity, scaled by exports plus remittances, has indeed weakened in the recent years.

The CPD study estimated that the optimal debt to export plus remittance ratio at 124 per cent showed Bangladesh debt exceeded the threshold in FY22, said the White Paper.

Not only megaprojects but also many other projects under the annual development programme were taken causing public fund to go to waste.

Public money worth $14–24 billion was lost to political extortion, bribery and inflated budgets with the ADPs worth $60 billion in the past 15 years, according to the White Paper that blamed the Awami League for establishing the kleptocracy legacy.​

 

[Saif]

Why are our roads still death traps?

Bangladesh faces a road safety crisis, with high fatalities and systemic neglect.

www.thedailystar.net

Why are our roads still death traps?

FILE VISUAL: REHNUMA PRASHOON

Every month, Bangladesh witnesses a tragic procession of lives lost and irreparably altered due to road crashes. According to the latest report from the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, in October alone, 475 people were killed and 815 injured in 452 crashes across the country. These statistics are alarming, but they barely scratch the surface of a systemic issue that has plagued Bangladesh for decades.

Road safety in Bangladesh is undermined by several interconnected issues, including unlicensed drivers, unfit vehicles, and inadequate enforcement of traffic laws. Over 10 lakh registered vehicles in the country are driven by unlicensed drivers because of a lack of institutional arrangement for proper training. Most drivers transition from helpers to drivers under the guidance of senior drivers, without formal certification.

In addition, more than five lakh registered vehicles lack fitness clearance, yet they continue to ply the roads unchecked. While significant investments have been made in road infrastructure, the capacity of the regulatory authorities like the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) remains woefully inadequate. According to Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), the BRTA is one of the most corrupt institutions in the country, with widespread bribery facilitating the operation of unfit vehicles and unqualified drivers.

The situation is exacerbated by reckless driving, which often stems from the daily contract system for bus drivers. Under this system, drivers are incentivised to maximise passenger numbers, leading to dangerous competition and accidents. Similarly, the absence of separate lanes for slow-moving vehicles such as easy bikes and battery-powered rickshaws on highways contributes significantly to road crashes.

The popularity of motorcycles, driven by an inadequate public transport system and favourable government policies for production and sales, adds another layer of complexity. While motorcycles account for a significant number of road crashes, the enforcement of safety measures, such as use of helmets, remains lax. A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) highlights that proper helmet use can reduce the risk of death in a crash by six times. Yet, such measures are poorly implemented in Bangladesh, contributing to the country's high motorcycle-related fatality rate.

The term "structural killings" better describes the situation in Bangladesh—a failure of governance and systemic neglect that allows dangerous practices to persist. The vested interests of vehicle owners, transport associations, and regulatory bodies have created a tangled web of corruption and mismanagement that perpetuates this cycle of death. From 2014 to September 2024, there were 60,980 road accidents in the country, resulting in 105,338 deaths and 149,847 injuries. Despite a historic student-led movement in 2018 demanding safer roads, little has changed. The promises made by the authorities remain unfulfilled, and the death toll continues to rise.

The impact of road crashes extends far beyond the immediate loss of life. Families are left to grapple with emotional trauma, financial burdens, and the loss of breadwinners. Injured individuals often face long-term disabilities, resulting in reduced productivity and increased healthcare costs. The ripple effects of these tragedies are felt across society, undermining the nation's progress and prosperity. Addressing road safety in Bangladesh requires a multifaceted approach. These include enhancing BRTA's capacity to ensure strict enforcement of licensing and vehicle fitness requirements, as well as making the processes transparent, and taking anti-corruption measures to restore public trust.

Also, institutional arrangements for comprehensive driver training should be established, with mandatory certification for all drivers by replacing informal training practices with standardised, government-regulated programmes. Separate lanes for slow-moving vehicles on highways should be prioritised, along with pedestrian-friendly infrastructure including proper signage, lighting, and routine road maintenance. Campaigns can be run to educate citizens about traffic rules and the importance of safety measures, such as helmet and seat belts use. Traffic management systems should be modernised through technology, such as surveillance cameras and automated fines for violations to deter reckless driving. Owners of buses and other commercial vehicles must be held accountable for the actions of their drivers. The daily contract system should be abolished in favour of fair and regulated employment terms. Lastly, the interim government must place road safety high on its reform agenda.

Md Kawsar Uddin is associate professor in the Department of English and Modern Languages at the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT).​

 

[Saif]

Single-journey ticket crisis: Metro rail urges passengers to arrive early

The state-run company tonight issued a notice on its verified Facebook in this regard

www.thedailystar.net

Single-journey ticket crisis: Metro rail urges passengers to arrive early

Star File Photo

The metro rail authority has urged passengers to arrive at stations with extra time in hand, as the issuance of single-journey tickets is taking additional time at some stations.

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd, the operational agency of metro rail, hopes the crisis regarding single-journey tickets will be improved within this month.

The state-run company tonight issued a notice on its verified Facebook in this regard.

The notice came as many passengers complained that they could not avail of metro rail service in the last few days due to a shortage of single-journey tickets.

Earlier, the authority said over two lakh single-journey tickets went missing after they launched the service in December 2022, causing problems in its operation.

However, people having MRT pass or Rapid passes are not facing problems.

Today, the authority said it is taking more time to issue single-journey tickets at important stations due to an increase in passengers.

Besides, passengers not submitting single-journey tickets at fixed slots and tickets becoming non-functional are causing the problems temporarily, it said.

To mitigate the problem, the authority is working to collect more single-journey tickets soon. Besides, they are considering an alternative system to sell tickets using QR Code to solve the problem, it read.

The metro rail authority regretted the inconvenience caused to passengers.​