The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The construction of the seven-kilometre Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover was cancelled as the Dhaka City Corporation detected fake bank guarantee submitted by the contractors- the Orion Group and Belhasa-Acom.

A local sub-contractor at a press briefing in the city yesterday claimed that his company had been swindled of Tk five crore due to the cancellation of the project.

The Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) at a meeting on Sunday decided to cancel the project, as they found the bank guarantee submitted by the contractors to be fake.

The Orion Group was building the flyover in partnership with Belhasa-Acom that constructed the 7-star hotel Burj Al Arab in Dubai city.

The company was implementing the project connecting Jatrabari with Gulistan in 30 to 36 months at a cost of Tk 700 crore on 'build, operate and transfer' (BOT) basis. However, the company could not make any headway in the construction of the flyover well after the stipulated period.

Haji Mohammad Shahjahan, the proprietor of M/S Bangladesh Unayan Sangsta, a local sub contractor, said that he took sub contract from China World Trade Group Company, another sub contractor of the flyover project.

He claimed that his company had spent Tk five crore on the site since June 2005. "We have spent a hefty sum of money for its maintenance, as well. But we have not received a single penny from China World Trade Group Company till date," he claimed.

He also alleged that despite assurance of payment by the officials of the company they have not yet been paid any of their bills.

He also expressed his apprehension that in the backdrop of the cancellation of the project the China World Trade Group Company would not make any payment to his company without the intervention of the Government.