NEW DELHI: Lack of stones from neighbouring Meghalaya has hit the expansion work of the Dhaka–Chittagong Highway which is main transportation artery in Bangladesh, between Dhaka and Chittagong.
The vital road linking country’s two largest cities, Dhaka and Chittagong is the busiest road in the country and a top development priority. But severe crisis in supply of stones from Meghalaya for the four-lane work is yet to be resolved although the last construction period for completing widening of the country’s national corridor has already begun.
Official sources said they have still a demand for over 700,000 cubic metres of stones for completing entire 193 km highway work as well as for giving finishing touch during the current construction season. The construction season for road and highway development starts from October and ends in February depending on rains.
The crisis in supply of stones for the Dhaka Chittagong four-lane construction work has been persisting for the last five months. The project office said the crisis has ensued as India has imposed a ban on export of black and other stones due to a court order.
Sources, however, attributed the crisis to stoppage of import as its import cost has increased because of improving weight checking system near the Meghalaya border. They said importers are not interested in bringing stones from Meghalaya as cost has been increased for strictly following weight of each vehicle through axle load machine.
Officials said the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges (MoRTB) of Bangladesh have taken measures to resolve the crisis and held a meeting with all stakeholders in Sylhet on November 6. They are now hopeful of getting the supply of stones normal within a week or two, official sources said.
The Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane project has gone through several crises since construction of 192.30 km economic corridor began in 2010. The four-lane work is now almost at its end as 73 per cent physical work has been completed but the progress of the project has been witnessed only at three to four per cent since June.
They said with India remaining the single source of supply of black and ‘pakur’ stones needed to give finishing layer of the national highways, the crisis persisted for a long time. Such was the pressure on the highway that the authorities had to open already constructed road to traffic without waiting for the finishing touches.
