Bangladesh Closes Door on China Gezhobu after Girder Collapse: Quader

The Chinese company in charge of the Bus Rapid Transit project in Uttara will not be hired for any more work in Bangladesh as a girder collapse claimed five lives, according to Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader.

The contractors will complete the remaining 20 percent of the work before the door closes on the company, Quader said at the Secretariat on Sunday.

On whether the findings in the investigation were met with any steps, Quader said the authorities took action based on the report, as much as it revealed.

“The project was 79 percent completed when the incident occurred. It will take several more years to issue a new tender amid the financial crisis. We’ll let this company wrap up the project but they won’t get any more work here.”

On Aug 15, a girder lifted by a crane under the government project on Uttara’s Jashim Uddin Road came crashing down on a passing car, crushing five members of a family inside.

The China Gezhouba Group Corporation was working on the project.

On resolving the alarming bottleneck of vehicles pouring into Dhaka, Quader said they were now focusing on Gazipur BRT and stressed how poor the drainage system there was.

He mentioned that Bangladesh expects “positive replies” from Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who is in Dhaka on a three-day trip, in seeking assistance to mitigate the oil and gas crisis.

The Awami League leader added that the government is deeply concerned about the forex reserves. “Our reserves will allow us to operate normally for five to six months.”