Posted on March 10, 2020
The authorities are yet to start dredging the Sirajganj–Daikhawa protocol route even though the decision to undertake this during the past year was taken at the shipping secretary-level talks in December 4 last year.
One reason for this is that many important issues are still pending with the Indian government for clearance, including dredging bills, as well as delays in approval by the Indian home and external affairs ministries to conduct hydrographical surveys in ‘no man’s land’ areas.
This was learnt from the minutes prepared for the third meeting of the joint monitoring committee (JMC) for the ‘Development of fairway in the stretches of Ashuganj-Zakiganj and Sirajganj-Daikhowa of Indo-Bangladesh Inland Water Transit and Trade Protocol Routes for seven years’, held in Dhaka on February 19 and 20.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) stated that dredging has been carried out in the stretches from Chilmari to Shaheber Agla during November to December 2019 to facilitate the movement of Indian vessels in the waterways. Also, though the Indian government has been requested to clear the bills pertaining to these at the earliest, the bills are still awaiting clearance from the Indian side, the minutes revealed.
According to the minutes, the JMC meeting has agreed to take action on the recommendations made in the first and second JMC meetings viz. to conduct surveys and dredging of ‘no man’s land’ areas between the two countries, appoint a project management consultant (PMC) and finalise the payment procedure of the dredging contractor and the dredging of the Sirajganj-Daikhowa and Ashuganj-Zakiganj stretches.
According to sources in the shipping ministry, Bangladesh has forwarded the self-declaration of the company and the application pro-forma clearance by the Indian home and external affairs ministries in respect of the hydrographic survey in ‘no man’s land’ areas in the Zakiganj-Karimganj (21 km) and Shaheber Agla-Shishumara (1.6 km) stretches of the India-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) routes. However, Bangladesh is yet to receive the approval from the Indian government.
However, the JMC has decided to schedule the surveys in the no man’s land between March 25 and April 25. It would start its task after obtaining all the requisite clearances from India, BIWTA sources said.
The draft technical evaluation report has been sent to the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) by mail on November26 last year for appointment of a PMC. The validity of the tender in this regard expired in January 17 this year. Though Bangladesh has sent the letter requesting the extension of the validity of the proposal for 120 days to the participants—WAPCOS Ltd and Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd’s JV with the DPC Group—no Indian company except WAPCOS Ltd has extended its validity yet.
The JMC has reviewed the progress of work in the Sirajganj-Daikhawa stretch and observed that the dredging has still not started, as agreed during the shipping secretary-level talks last year in December 4. The BIWTA stated that pending the finalisation of the proposal for maintenance dredging, dredging has been carried out in the stretches from Chilmari to Shaheber Agla during November-December 2019 to facilitate the movement of Indian vessels in the waterways, according to the minutes. The JMC proposed that the bills be considered accordingly, it added.
The BIWTA has reiterated that considering the dynamics of the hydro-morphological condition prevailing in the Sirajganj-Daikhawa stretch, where the river is subject to numerous and constantly oscillating navigation channels, just maintenance dredging is the only feasible option, as proposed and decided at the shipping secretary-level talks in Dhaka, sources said.
The JMC has conducted a joint site visit and has held detailed consultations with C&P and the hydrography department of the BIWTA to ascertain the feasibility of the claim. It observed that the navigation channel is subject to frequent shifts, particularly in the stretch from Chilmari to the Shaheber Agla border because the river section is wider, sources said, adding that under the circumstances, the JMC has further examined the tentative proposal to carry out maintenance dredging as the observed deeper channel with reference to the contract without any additional cost impact in the seven-year contract period.
The BIWTA stated that a detailed survey have been carried out for the entire stretch from Ashuganj to Zakiganj and that the alignment has been provided to the contractor. Based on the soundings in the detailed surveys, the BIWTA expressed its opinion that the dredging quantity may exceed the contract quantity.
The JMC discussed the issue and, taking into consideration the low traffic volume and channel requirements for safe navigation for the maximum period during the lean season, it proposed carrying out dredging for a width of only 25 metres by fixing the lowest water level at a 10 per cent higher value instead of the 30-metre width cut till date. It also decided that the contractor would carry out the line surveys at intervals of 45 days in the entire stretch to monitor the effects of dredging i.e. shifting of shoals and the present condition. The contractor has given consent to the proposal.
The BIWTA noted that so far 3 lakh cubic metres of dredging have been completed in the Ashuganj-Zakiganj stretch by deploying two dredgers.
Source: theindependentbd.com
