Indian Contractor Resumes Work on Ashuganj-Akhaura Four-Lane Highway After Three Months

The Indian contracting firm's officials, who had returned to their country after abandoning the project, have resumed work.

After nearly three months, the remaining work on the four-lane highway project from Ashuganj River Port to Akhaura Land Port in Brahmanbaria has begun. Following the fall of the Awami League government, the Indian contracting firm's officials had returned to their country, leaving the project incomplete.

Sources from the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) and the project revealed that in 2017, a project was undertaken to upgrade the 50.58 kilometer road from Ashuganj River Port to Akhaura border into a four-lane highway. After a revision, the project cost was estimated at 5,791 crore taka. Of this, 2,982 crore taka is an Indian loan under the second Indian Line of Credit (LOC). The remaining 2,809 crore taka will be provided by the government. The project is scheduled to be completed in June 2025. As of August 4, 2024, 53% of the project has been completed.

It has been learned that after approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), the Indian contracting firm, Afcons Infrastructure Limited, was awarded the contract in 2018. The project work began in three packages. The packages covered 12.21 kilometers from Ashuganj River Port to Sarail Bishwaroad, 27 kilometers from Sarail Bishwaroad to Dharkhar, and 11.31 kilometers from Dharkhar to Akhaura Land Port. The Indian contracting firm was responsible for implementing all packages. The project work started in full swing in 2022. Apart from local engineers and workers, around 300 Indian citizens were working on this project. However, after the change of government on August 5, the officials of the contracting firm left the country, abandoning the work.

Sources said that the work on this Indian-funded project came to a standstill after Sheikh Hasina left the country on August 5. This further deteriorated the condition of the road. On the 27-kilometer stretch of the Comilla-Sylhet highway from Sarail Bishwaroad intersection to Dharkhar in Brahmanbaria sadar upazila, the road had large potholes, the asphalt had peeled off, and there were sinkholes in various places. Due to the lack of asphalt and bricks, the soil subsided, causing heavy vehicles to get stuck and sometimes overturn. Traffic jams were frequent. During the dry season, dust blew across the road. People had to travel on this road amid suffering and hardship.

Project sources said that the condition of a 1.25-kilometer stretch of road, including 450 meters at Ashuganj roundabout and Sarail Bishwaroad intersection in the first package, and nearly four kilometers from Sarail Bishwaroad intersection to Dharkhar in the second package, was very bad. On September 27, the senior secretary of the Roads Division and the chief engineer of the RHD inspected the Ashuganj-Akhaura four-lane highway. After a long discussion, the project officials and employees started returning from India from the last week of October. Recently, the repair work of the dilapidated sections has started.

Mohammad Shamim Ahmed, project manager of the Ashuganj-Akhaura four-lane highway project, told The Shuvro Times that around 30 officials and employees of the Indian contracting firm have returned to the project area. They started work two to three days ago. Initially, road repair and rod binding for a bridge in Ghatura area of Sadar upazila have been started. Later, casting will be done at Ghatura bridge area.