The previous government had launched two separate projects to build two metro rail lines in Dhaka, with a total approved cost of Taka 938 billion. However, if the award is given as per the contractors’ bid proposals, the total cost will increase to Tk 1.84 trillion.
Farooq Ahmed was tasked with identifying the causes of this abnormal cost overrun and reducing it. He held several meetings with the Japanese development agency Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), contractors and consultants, attempting to cut costs through negotiations.
In this context, Shamsul Haq, professor in the civil engineering department of BUET and a key project expert, said that since the Metro Rail is new to Bangladesh, the interim government had gone beyond bureaucracy to appoint someone with practical technical expertise as MD.
“Results were beginning to be seen. But canceling his appointment is a sign of a return to old patterns,” he said.
Professor Shamsul Haq said that recently the managing director of DMTCL had refused to accept substandard material from contractors, forced them to make substandard supplies and put pressure on them to rectify the deficiencies identified. The contractors were reportedly unhappy with this. JICA also did not fully agree with his aggressive cost-cutting efforts. Whether these factors played any role in the cancellation of his appointment remains a question.