‘Is it built with my father’s money?’: Adviser Fouzul expresses anger after seeing his name on inauguration plaque of Dhaka Bypass
He said that due to a lack of skilled engineers in the country, foreign professionals are often brought in to build roads and railways
Road Transport and Bridges Adviser Faozul Kabir Khan expressed anger after finding his name inscribed on the inauguration plaque of a newly opened section of the Dhaka Bypass in Gazipur today (24 August).
The incident occurred during the inauguration of an 18-kilometre stretch of the bypass, running from Gazipur's Bhogra to Madanpur in Narayanganj, part of the larger 48-kilometre project. The 18-kilometre stretch was opened to traffic today.
After delivering his speech as the chief guest, the adviser proceeded to cut the ribbon and unveil the plaque. But upon pulling aside the curtain, he was visibly upset to see his name listed as the inaugurator.
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"How did my name get here? Is it built with my father's money? Why did you put my name here?" he exclaimed angrily, stepping away from the plaque.
Adviser Fouzul then instructed officials to have his name removed within 24 hours.
"My name must not be on this plaque," he said, stressing that it should only state the bypass has been inaugurated, along with details of the ministries or agencies responsible for the project.
Multimodal transport plan
Earlier, the adviser said the government has taken a multimodal transport plan, aiming to integrate all modes of transport — road, rail, and waterways — based on suitability.
"Land acquisition is a costly process. We need to move away from this and give more importance to other modes of transport," he said while talking to reporters at the Bhogra Bypass area, reports UNB.
The adviser said that due to a lack of skilled engineers in the country, foreign professionals are often brought in to build roads and railways.
"Yet, thousands of engineers graduate from Buet every year. We must reduce dependency on foreign experts and focus on developing skilled engineers within the country," he said.
Talking about the higher costs of road construction, he said, "Our road construction costs are higher than in neighbouring countries, as corruption plays a significant role here. If we can curb corruption, construction costs can be reduced by 20-30%."
The 48-kilometre Dhaka Bypass project is being implemented under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP). The Joydebpur-Debgram-Bhulta-Madanpur Road is being upgraded to a four-lane highway at a cost of around Tk3,500 crore. The project is being implemented under the Design, Build, Finance, Operate, and Maintain (DBFOT) model.
The road connects major national highways, including the Dhaka-Chattogram, Dhaka-Sylhet, Purbachal Expressway, Dhaka-Mymensingh, and Dhaka-Tangail routes.
Project authorities expect construction to be completed by June next year.
As a result of the project, cargo vehicles will be able to travel from Chattogram Port to Mymensingh, Rangpur, and Rajshahi divisions in less time without entering Dhaka city, reducing both traffic congestion and accident risks within the capital.
