Dhaka: Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday ordered an investigation into the prolonged delay in completing the Khulna Shipyard Road Expansion and Development Project, which has remained unfinished for more than a decade despite repeated extensions. The directive came during a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), held at the Public Administration Conference Room of the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the project, approved by ECNEC in July 2013, was initially scheduled for completion in 2015. However, the implementation only began in January 2022, leading to significant delays. The project has now achieved around 70 percent physical progress over more than three years. However, complications arose when the contractor reportedly became untraceable after withdrawing bills, resulting in the road work being left incomplete for a long period. This led to the cancellation of the contract on August 7 last year.
At the ECNEC meeting, the issue of repeated delays and failure to achieve expected progress was discussed in detail, with the Prime Minister expressing his displeasure over the matter. Prime Minister's Press Secretary Saleh Shibly stated that even after 12 years and repeated extensions, the desired target has not been achieved. Consequently, the Prime Minister has directed that the reasons behind the 12-year delay be thoroughly investigated and those responsible be identified and held accountable.
Originally, the project was awarded to a joint venture of Ataur Rahman Ltd and Mahabub Brothers Pvt Ltd under the Khulna Development Authority (KDA) at a cost of Tk 98.90 crore, with a two-year completion target set for June 2015. Despite multiple extensions-first for one year, then two years, followed by several further revisions-the timeline extended by nearly a decade, yet the project remained incomplete. The cost of the project also increased significantly over time, rising to around Tk 259 crore before being slightly revised to Tk 254 crore.
Officials noted that the Prime Minister emphasized ensuring accountability in public project implementation to prevent similar delays in the future. The meeting was attended by LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, among other ministers and officials. The ECNEC meeting was held ahead of the upcoming national budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year.