Staff Reporter:
The metro rail authorities have been able to save around Tk118.24 crore in repairing costs allocated for the vandalised metro stations at Mirpur-10 and Kazipara.
The authorities have also managed to resume operations at the two stations earlier than estimated.
“We’ve repaired the damaged Mirpur-10 and Kazipara stations of the metro rail, through measures including the replacement of some equipment, at a cost of Tk18.86 crore only,” Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) Md Abdur Rouf told BSS Thursday.
The eight-member probe committee, which was formed on 22 July by the DMTCL, in its report on 14 August said that Tk137.10 crore will be required for repairing and replacing equipment of the two damaged stations. Of the amount, Tk46.59 crore was expected to be provided by the government, while DMTCL was due to spend Tk91.51 crore.
Some local equipment and unused machinery of non-busy metro stations were used in repairing the two damaged stations, Abdur Rouf said. Furthermore, the authorities engaged local experts and technicians, who worked round the clock to make the two busy stations operational within the shortest possible time, he noted.
The probe committee, led by Additional Project Director of Metro Rail Line-6 and Joint Secretary Md Zakaria, had also claimed that some 270 days were to be required to make the two stations operational – as it mentioned that some equipment needed to be imported to repair the damaged ticket vending system, e-system, punch machines, various other devices and computers at both stations.
But the DMTCL was able to reopen the Kazipara station on 20 September, while the Mirpur-10 station on 15 October at the directives of the government.
Earlier, Road Transport and Bridges Affairs Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan had said that some of the repair costs were paid for from the fund of the Mass Rapid Transit Company.
He said Mirpur-10 metro station was returned to service after two months and 17 days at a cost of Tk1.25 crore, while Tk20.50 lakh was spent for repairing the Kazipara station.
The two stations were vandalised massively by miscreants during the anti-discrimination student movement on 19 July, and after visiting the spot, the authorities of the ousted Awami League government had put the repairmen cost at Tk300 crore.
Mass Rapid Transit Line-6, the country’s first metro rail line, was made partially operational from Uttara to Agargaon in December 2022 and the route was extended up to Motijheel in November 2023. On an average 2.70 lakh passengers travel every day on Uttara-Motijheel route.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) constructed the first ever elevated metro rail in the capital with its technical, mechanical technology and financial support.
