Flyover cost go flying

It doesn't come as a shock that implementation of a flyover project in Bangladesh costs the taxpayer a lot more money and time than in any other South Asian country, and in some cases, even China and Malaysia. For instance, on an average, Tk 123 crore is spent in Bangladesh on building one kilometre stretch of a four-lane flyover while the cost is Tk 100, 70 crore sand less than Tk 100 crore in India, Pakistan and China respectively. 

What explains the additional expenditure in Bangladesh given that labour and construction materials are comparatively less expensive here? The short answer is corruption and inefficiency. Unnecessary delays caused by the longwinded process of land acquisition, rehabilitation of people, finding financiers, legal and bureaucratic red tape also cause the costs to go up manifold. 

A logical question would be to ask whether proper feasibility studies are done prior to starting up projects where such large sums of money is at stake. If an analysis and evaluation of a proposed project is conducted to determine if it is technically realistic and is feasible within the estimated cost, how can costs go up as a rule rather than an exception? Who should be held accountable for such a waste of taxpayers' money? 

In a laudable move to provide the country with much needed physical infrastructure, the government this year took up several mega projects including the Padma Bridge and Metro Rail. The authorities should ensure that all projects are carried out with the highest level of efficiency and transparency.