An abnormal expenditure has been proposed in Bangladesh road safety project with an estimated cost of Tk 43.15 billion to reduce road accidents in the country, the planning commission has said.
The planning commission has sent back the project saying the proposed expenditure of Tk 4.40 billion for consultancy and Tk 1.84 for software purchase was abnormal.
Stakeholders said there is no necessity to recruit consultants at the cost of so much amount of money for various works of the project to reduce road accidents.
The project components include reviewing risk of 8,000 kilometers of roads and earth filling, training of drivers, free ambulance service for people injured in road accidents, treatment of injured people at three hospitals or launching of trauma centre, straightening curved ones and improving the signal system.
'Bangladesh road safety' project is supposed to be implemented between January 2022 and December 2026. A meeting was held in connection with the project at the planning commission in-mid March. The project was sent back after review. The road transport and bridges ministry sent the project to the planning commission for approval.
Planning commission member Mamun Al Rashid said, "Their goal is to reduce deaths in road accidents. But there is no reason to appoint so many consultants. There is also no reason of such abnormal expenditure."
The roads and highways department, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), highway police and the health directorate want to implement the project.
According to the proposal, the World Bank will provide Tk 30 billion as loan while the government will provide Tk 13.15 Billion.
Around 5,000 to 6,000 people are killed in road accidents every year. According to non-government organisation Road Safety Foundation (RSF), as many as 5,371 road accidents occurred in 2021. Some 6,284 people are killed and 7,468 people injured in it. According to Accident Research Institute (ARI) of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), road accidents in 2021 caused a loss worth Tk 380 billion.
What work to be done
Under the road safety project, expenditure for various work under different departments have been mentioned. A total of Tk 17 billion will be spent to make two highways safe, one from Joydevpur to Elenga in Gazipur and another Natore to Chapainawabganj. Expenditure for consultancy has been estimated at Tk 4.40 billion. The expenditure for land acquisition has been estimated at Tk 3 billion while the implementing agencies will spend Tk 760 million for training of their employees.
Under the project, a total of 12 sport utility vehicles (SUV) will be purchased. The expenditure has been estimated at Tk 120 million. A total of 29 pickups will be purchased at a cost of Tk 170 million. A total of 60 ambulances will be purchased at a cost of Tk 330 million. Besides, some Tk 40 million will be spent for foreign trips. A total of Tk 440 million will be spent to build a multi-storied building for the highway police at Shibchar of Madaripur.
Accident data system software, integrated database software will be purchased at a cost of Tk 1.84 billion and number of accidents, deaths and injured will be kept in it.
According to the documents, trauma centres will be introduced in Tangail General Hospital, Rajshahi Medical College Hospital and Mughda General Hospital. A total of Tk 150 million will be spent for renovation of emergency treatment room. Road safety committee will be formed at the district level. Motorcycle ambulance will be launched in Banani and Mohammadpur in Dhaka. CCTV will be installed in accident-prone roads. Mass awareness will be created.
Huge amount of expenditure for consultancy
According to the documents of the Bangladesh Road Safety project, the implementing agencies will separately recruit consultants.
The roads and highways department wants to spend Tk 2.23 billion for consultancy while BRTA wants to spend Tk 520 million for consultancy. The health directorate wants to spend Tk 290 million, Bangladesh police wants to spend Tk 480 million. Moreover, a total of Tk 870 million has been proposed for overall consultancy of the project.
About the necessity of consultants, roads and highways department additional chief engineer Abdullah Al Mamun said, "We don't have skilled manpower. So consultants are being recruited."
When asked whether consultants are recruited in accordance with conditions in case of foreign loans, he said this was in the past. But currently consultants are not recruited following condition.
Abdullah Al Mamun also said the expenditure for software will be reduced.
RHD said consultants examine problems in the roads, analyse where there are curved roads, which roads have to be straightened and give advice. Besides, the consultants will train RHD officials.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has clearly given directives not to recruit consultants randomly while implementing projects. In a meeting of National Economic Council (NEC) on 18 May 2021, the prime minister said consultants cannot be recruited keeping eyes closed.
A few people to stuff their pockets
According to Road Safety Foundation, causes of 62 per cent of accidents are reckless driving. Besides, lack of skill of drivers, plying of low speed vehicles on the highway, occupation of footpaths by hawkers, weak traffic management, lacking of capacity of BRTA, extortion in the transport sector and lack of awareness among the road users also cause road accidents.
BUET's Accident Research Institute said 90 causes of road accidents are aggressive mentality and reckless driving. But in the Road Safety Project, comparatively less amount of money has been proposed for the drivers. An estimated cost of Tk 1.43 billion has been proposed for training of drivers.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, BUET professor Shamsul Haque said road accidents cannot be reduced by training drivers unless fixing the process of issuing driving licenses. If main problems are not identified and solved, pockets of few people will be filled for undertaking such projects. It will not come to use for the people.
Professor Shamsul Haque also said it does not require consultants for the type of project which has been undertaken to reduce road accidents. Earlier, many projects were undertaken to reduce road accidents. But those were not followed later and as a result accidents did decrease.
*This report, originally published in Prothom Alo print and online edition, has been rewritten in English by Rabiul Islam.