Project to build less shelters, but at a higher cost

The government’s high priority project to build shelter centres, termed as Mujib Kella, in coastal areas cannot seem to catch a break from cost hike and deadline extension. After failing to meet an extended deadline, the implementing authorities are getting another three years to complete the project with increased cost.

Besides, authorities have also cut down the number of shelter centres it originally planned to build under the project to protect the coastal people from natural disasters, according to Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief sources.

Launched in July 2018, the state-funded project originally aimed to build 550 shelter centres, termed as Mujib Kella, in 152 coastal, flood and erosion-prone upazilas across the country within 2021 at a cost of Tk 1,957.47 crore. After failing to meet the original deadline, the implementing authorities received a one-year extension to finish the works by December 2022, which they also missed. The project cost was also hiked by Tk 40 crore to Tk1997.47 crore at the time.

Now, the authorities have been given another three years to build 505 shelters, down by 45 centres from the original plan, while the project cost has been increased by Tk 24.36 crore to Tk 2021.83 crore.

According to sources, till December 2022, only 64 shelter centres have been built under the high priority project while 95 more were under construction.

Disaster management and relief ministry officials said despite being on the government’s priority list, there was a lack of monitoring in the implementation of the project.

Meanwhile, the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) have identified six reasons for the sloth-like pace of the project in a report published on February 6, 2023.

The reasons include, delay in making corrections in design and drawings, land related complications, delay in formulating policies for handing over the shelter centres after implementation.

The IMED report also identified increased prices of construction materials, stoppage of work by contractors, natural calamities and delays in decision-making in the construction of guide walls as reasons for the slow project progress.

The report said due to various reasons, a contract with the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) was cancelled in the middle of the project.

IMED Joint Chief Prof Enamul Haque told Business Post that

“Such blunders in the project are our overall failure. The report has been finalised after being evaluated by a third party. It will be sent to the ministry concerned soon. Then the ministry will determine who is responsible for this and take action against them,” IMED Joint Chief Md Enamul Haque told The Business Post.

He also said the IMED will monitor if the ministry implements the recommendations given in the report.

According to sources, six months of the project period passed to get administrative approval after six district-level committees chose sites for the shelter centres. The project authorities took initiative to ink an agreement with BUET for structural and architectural design but found that the budget for the work was lower than BUET’s demand. It took 17 months to sign a deal with BUET after rectifying the funding.

Meanwhile, according to the IMED report, there is a risk of the shelter centres suffering damages from natural calamities if the construction works do not finish on time. Besides, there is a risk of theft of valuable electrical and construction materials from the centres.

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) in July 1973 and 199 shelter centres were built in 19 districts under the programme. People used to call them “Mujib Kella.”

But the centres became unusable due to lack of maintenance and vested quarter grabbed lands over the years. The government wants to develop, repair and build the shelters again under the Mujib Kella construction, repair and development project.