PM Orders Tough Measures to Curb Project Delays, Cost Escalation

Bangla Press Desk: The government has adopted a slew of stringent and effective measures to curb the persistent tendency of cost and time overruns in public-works projects, Prime Minister Tarek Rahman informed parliament Wednesday.

Responding to a written question from Md. Mobasher Alam Bhuiya, Member of Parliament for Comilla-10, during the Prime Minister's Questions (PMQ) session in the thirteenth National Parliament's third session, the Prime Minister outlined the multifaceted reforms.

He stated that the escalation of project timelines and budgets in Bangladesh is rarely attributable to a single factor. Instead, he notes, a confluence of weaknesses in project formulation, approval processes, land acquisition, financing, procurement procedures, and overall management typically intertwine to create the problem.

The head of government emphasized that the government "took cognizance of these issues promptly and had since initiated effective, multi-pronged actions to address them".

Detailing the remedial measures, he said top priority is now being given to ensuring accurate feasibility studies before any new project is approved and to expediting implementation preparations immediately after approval.Bangladesh economic report

Concurrently, the government is revising existing guidelines related to project formulation, processing, approval, and amendment to make them more time-befitting.

On monitoring, the Prime Minister announced that digital dashboards are being installed in relevant ministries and divisions to strengthen oversight of ongoing project implementation. "Regular project reviews and intensive field-level supervision have also been increased."

To tackle delays in land acquisition and utility shifting, coordination among relevant agencies is being bolstered.

Taking a tough stance against negligence, the Prime Minister told the House that "thorough reviews are being conducted to identify reasons for delays, irregularities, cost overruns, and amendments in projects that miss their deadlines.

"Clear directives have been issued to take punitive action against individuals and entities found responsible for delays, in accordance with existing rules."

Addressing projects with less-than-30-percent physical progress, the Prime Minister said their relevance and effectiveness are being re-evaluated, with decisions being made on possible restructuring, scope changes, or termination, as needed.

He also mentioned that instead of isolated projects, the government is encouraging the adoption of cluster projects under integrated programmes. The use of the electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system is being expanded to enhance transparency in public purchasing.

Regarding project management, the Prime Minister stressed that professional qualifications, expertise, and practical experience are being given utmost importance in the appointment of Project Directors.

Relevant policies are being updated to ensure continuity of work.

Furthermore, the government is emphasising project implementation through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models and has taken the initiative to update the Public Procurement Rules 2025 to make government procurement more competitive and accountable.

Meanwhile, the government has undertaken a major initiative to introduce electric trains on the Dhaka-Chattogram route, aiming to drastically reduce travel time and distance on one of the country's busiest corridors.

Prime Minister Tarek Rahman informed parliament about the plan in response to a written question from Mohammad Enamul Haque, Member of Parliament for Chattogram-12.

He said the feasibility study and detailed design work for establishing electric traction on the route-aimed at operating environment-friendly and high-speed electric trains-had already been successfully completed.

The project now awaits the confirmation of necessary funding. Once the required financing is secured, the government will finalise the detailed action plan and timeline for the mega-project and begin field-level implementation.

The Prime Minister has noted that several parallel measures have been taken to increase passenger-transport capacity and ease travel on this vital economic corridor.

The decision to convert the entire Dhaka-Chattogram railway line to a modern dual-gauge double line is being implemented. As part of this, the necessary surveys and detailed designs for upgrading the Tongi-Akhaura and Laksam-Chattogram sections to dual-gauge double lines have been finalised.

The development-project proposal for the Laksam-Chattogram section is currently in the final stages of approval, while the proposal for the Tongi-Akhaura section is nearing completion.

As a strategic step to reduce the geographical distance of the rail route, Prime Minister Rahman said, the government is also considering a proposal to construct a cord line directly from Dhaka to Cumilla.Travel Guides & Travelogues

A feasibility study and detailed design work on this new cord line are currently progressing fast. Once constructed, the cord line would directly reduce the distance between Dhaka and Chattogram, significantly increasing the average speed of each train and allowing passengers to reach their destinations in much less time than currently possible.

Elaborating on the progress of the electric-train initiative, the Prime Minister reaffirmed that all technical preparations and designs for the modern electric traction system on the Chattogram-Dhaka corridor are complete.

He stated that the main implementation work will commence as soon as financing is secured from foreign or domestic sources.

"Upon full implementation, this project will mark the first-ever operation of high-speed trains in the country, ushering in a revolutionary change in rail travel on the Dhaka-Chattogram route while significantly enhancing the overall transport capacity of the railway."