The delay, uncertainty, and cancellation afflicting the construction of planetariums in three divisional cities hardly come as a surprise in the all-too-familiar culture of project delays in our country. According to a recent report by Prothom Alo, despite extensions and cost increase, work on the novo theatre projects in Barishal and Rangpur has not been completed in years, while the one in Khulna has been scrapped altogether after being stuck in a limbo for over 12 years. The authorities have cited global supply issues and increasing prices as factors contributing to the delays. While we understand the legitimacy of the challenges, should foresight and efficiency not have been vital in project planning from the start?
The project in Barishal reportedly began in 2020 at an estimated cost of Tk 412 crore. After two extensions and a rise in equipment prices, the cost has now risen to Tk 460 crore. Those involved with the project claim that only about 20 percent of the work remains; however, much of the equipment has yet to be imported, which contradicts the claim of near completion. The situation in Rangpur is similar. Despite being approved in 2021 with a project cost of Tk 418 crore, the cost has now increased to Tk 445 crore due to delays. The situation in Khulna perhaps is the direst one, where despite the notion of building a novo theatre being around since 2012, nothing materialised due to complications in land acquisition.
Public projects are often marred by irregularities and approved before fundamental concerns about land and procurement are adequately addressed. We have seen how the Gulshan-Banani-Baridhara Lake Development Project was undertaken without a detailed feasibility study, which, frankly, is fairly irresponsible, especially when crores of taka are poured into these projects. We also witnessed the blatant cost irregularities in the housing project at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, which reportedly resulted in excess expenditure of around Tk 187 crore. These instances are deeply troubling.
We hope the construction of the novo theatre projects in Barishal and Rangpur will be completed within the deadline. These projects can play an instrumental role in nurturing scientific curiosity and innovation among both the young and the old. At a time when we are losing public spaces where healthy debates can take place, delays and irregularities in creating such institutions are unacceptable. We strongly urge the government to break this cycle of cost and time overruns that waste taxpayers’ money.
