Airport Road: Firm close to Quader bags Tk 590m through beautification

A staggering Tk 58.6 million was spent throughout the process of purchasing a large television and its installation beside the airport road. An additional Tk 812,000 was charged by the contractor for its maintenance, while another Tk 2.1 million was spent to ensure its security. 

The giant television was installed on the Airport Road in Dhaka for beautification. Despite all these expenses, the television never came into operation, with dust piling up on it.  

Aside from the television, LED lights were installed along a six-kilometer stretch from the flyover near the Banani staff quarter to the airport, at a cost of Tk 130 million. Another Tk 20 million was spent to plant different trees. 

Engineers and individuals associated with the project described the expenses to be excessive and of limited benefit. 

There are allegations that the roads and highways department (RHD) awarded the Tk 590 million beautification project to a contractor without any open tender process. The Abed Mansur Construction Limited, which maintains close ties with former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader, received the contract between 2020 and 2023. 

On 10 December, the giant television was seen installed near the Kuril bus stand, with dust piling up on its paper and plastic covers. Amirul Islam, a resident of Badda who regularly uses this route, said the television was installed one and a half years ago but has never been in operation. 

Even the RHD officials are not clear about its purpose or what was supposed to be displayed on it.

Obaidul Quader could not be reached for comment as he went into hiding following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina regime on 5 August. 

When asked about the issue, Syed Aslam Ali, additional chief engineer of the RHD’s Dhaka zone, said he took charge a few months ago, and the beautification project was finalised before his joining. 

According to RHD sources, Abed Mansur is the owner of Vinyl World, a billboard, banner, and advertising company. He is also known for producing dramas.

At one point, he developed a bond with Obaidul Quader and then RHD additional chief engineer Sabuj Uddin Khan. Sabus Uddin was known as the right hand of Obaidul Quader in the ministry. 

The beautification project began in 2017, with plans to transform the airport road into a visually stunning digital road, like those in Shanghai and Bangkok. 

On the condition of anonymity, two officials of the road transport ministry told Prothom Alo that Mansur launched his company to benefit from his proximity to Quader. In six years since 2017, his construction company received contracts worth around Tk 20 billion from the RHD. The officials described it as surprising. 

In 2019, the contractor was awarded a Tk 60 million contract to erect steel fencing along the roads, demolish an overbridge at Khilkhet, and build a bus bay. The company mentioned an expense of Tk 3 million only to demolish the overbridge.

In August, 2022, another contract worth Tk 190 million was awarded to the contractor under the beautification project. The works include installation of 647 streetlights ranging from 90 to 150 watts and a giant LED television. 

According to RHD records, the contractor cited an expense of Tk 40 million to install the 647 lights and Tk 90 million to purchase required cables, switches, and software.  

Lastly, the company received a Tk 340 million contract under the beautification project in June 2023. The works include construction of road dividers, sidewalks, and drains; installation of garden benches, passenger benches, garden lights; and plantation of trees. 

The contractor charged Tk 2.9 million only to demolish the existing road dividers, Tk 7.6 million to purchase 12,196 trees, and Tk 11.7 million to purchase some 1,863 hybrid trees. 

While visiting the spot recently, the roadside gardens that the whopping amounts were charged for were not found at all designated spots, and where they do exist, they turned into overgrown bushes. There are some brick benches on the sidewalks. But those remain unused as the areas where they were installed are largely deserted. 

According to the bill, a total of Tk 150 million was spent to construct eight passenger shelters. Those too remain unused as the buses do not stop there. Two more capsule-shaped shelters were constructed beside the airport road, at a cost of Tk 40 million, with no bus stoppage in their proximity.