Padma Bridge Rail Link is the largest project in terms of cost in Bangladesh's communication infrastructure sector's history. From 2010 to 2018, this project had the highest construction cost per kilometer among all the non-urban heavy rail projects implemented in the Asia-Pacific region. Similarly, Dhaka's 'MRT Line-6' is the most expensive in Asia for, the first metro rail to be built. Dhaka's second (MRT Line-1) and third (MRT Line-5, Northern Route) metro rail cost more per kilometer. The construction cost of the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Expressway per kilometer is more than BDT 2 billion, the highest in the world. The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), implemented between the airport and Gazipur, is the most expensive in the world.

During the fifteen-and-a-half-year rule of the Awami League (AL) government, the construction cost of most of the mega projects implemented in the country, like four-lane highways, expressways, flyovers, railways, railway bridges, airport terminals is the highest or one of the highest among similar projects in the world. These high costs have a direct impact on the public, as they contribute to the national debt and burden the taxpayers. The issues have repeatedly come up as reviewed by various global organizations, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Padma Bridge is one of the most talked about projects in the country. The project has cost BDT 326.05 billion. Dr Shamshul Haque, communication infrastructure expert and professor at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), said that two to three times more money than usual had been spent on the bridge's construction.

He told Bonik Barta, "If we calculate the construction cost per kilometer of similar bridges in different countries, it will be seen that the construction of Padma Bridge has cost two to three times more. The reason behind the high cost of the project is that military-civilian facilities were also built with this project. No such precedent can be found anywhere in the history of the world. There is a police station here. Bungalows have been constructed to accommodate project officers and secretaries. A large amount of land was acquired for various non-functional facilities, which increased the cost of the project.

It is not only the Padma Bridge; such 'shadow cost' has increased the construction cost many times in every project. Dr Shamsul Haque said, “Projects in Bangladesh mean buying expensive cars." Pajero is bought for work that requires a pickup-like vehicle. The car is used for personal work by burning the free fuel oil. Foreign travel is done in the name of transfer of technology. Those who are not involved in the implementation of the project also have to be kept happy. It is carried up to the highest level of the chain of command of government and administration. When some facilities are added to each project, the cost increases. Due to the lack of accountability and good governance, these incidents have increased continuously in the country.”

Construction of one kilometer of eight-lane national or provincial road in India costs about 1.5 million dollars. Construction of a two-lane road per kilometer for district and urban areas costs about 6 lakh dollars. The construction cost per kilometer for peripheral roads is about 4 lakh dollars. Due to various reasons, including proper planning, transparency in implementation, skilled manpower, availability of construction materials and machinery, and use of innovative technology, India is able to build roads at a lower cost than many countries in the world, including Asia.

The opposite scenario is seen in Bangladesh. The World Bank says that road construction in Bangladesh is the most expensive. 2.5 million to 11.9 million dollars are being spent to construct four- or more-lane roads here. The World Bank blamed high levels of corruption, late completion of work, and lack of competition in the bidding process for the high construction costs.

Bangladesh is ahead of other countries only in the construction of roads and Metrorail. The first metro was built in Delhi, India, with one-third of the amount of money spent on the construction of Dhaka's first metro. Pakistan built the first metro in Lahore at less than half the cost of Dhaka MRT-6. On the other hand, China has built the first metro at the lowest cost in the Asian continent. The construction cost of the country's first metro in Shanghai is one-fifth of the construction cost of MRT-6 in Dhaka. Two metro rails are being built in two cities in Vietnam at a lower cost than Dhaka. The construction cost of the second and third metro rail under construction in Dhaka is more.

A railway bridge is being constructed parallel to the existing bridge on the Jamuna River. The construction of this 4.8 km long railway bridge costs BDT 34.96 billion per kilometer. Various sources of data analysis show that in terms of cost per kilometer, this number is much higher than the long and massive railway bridges of neighboring India and China. On the other hand, the bus rapid transit project under construction from Dhaka airport to Gazipur has been called the most expensive in the world.

Professor Hadiuzzaman of BUET raised the question of why Bangladesh cannot build infrastructure at a low cost if neighboring countries. He said to Bonik Barta, "The technical quality of the projects that have been implemented in Bangladesh for the construction of bridges, expressways, metro rails, highways, railways, and the ongoing projects are equal to the similar projects implemented in neighboring countries. However, the construction cost of similar projects in Bangladesh is much higher than that of neighboring countries. With the money we have spent on implementing these projects, the neighboring countries have done the same projects, spending only one-third of the money. If neighboring countries can build metro rails, roads, bridges, and expressways at a low cost, why can't we? It is a big question. I think where the investment is heavy; there is an opportunity for those who try to take advantage of the project personally. The same has happened in Bangladesh.

“In the past decade and a half, a culture of exaggerating project costs has developed in Bangladesh. However, this expenditure was supposed to be research-based. How to build good infrastructure at low cost is not tried in our country. I think we should look into whether there has been any financial irregularity or technical irregularity in the implementation of the project.”

Padma Bridge Rail Link is the biggest project in the country in the communication infrastructure sector. Most of the BDT 392.46 billion spent on the project, Bangladesh has taken a loan from Exim Bank of China. The loan amount is 2.67 billion dollars. In the agreement, the exchange rate of rupees against each dollar is assumed to be BDT 78.85. The current exchange rate per dollar is BDT 118. A rise in the value of the dollar has increased both the amount of debt and the pressure on debt repayment.

The executive director of the Policy Research Institute, Dr Ahsan H Mansur, said that the return that is being deposited in the government treasury from this high-cost project is insignificant compared to the installments of the loan. In this context, he said to Bonik Barta, “We have spent more than the income in the implementation of the project. Our debt burden has been increased by spending double or triple what we should be spending. Investments are disproportionate to project returns. But the people of the country have to pay for it. If we take the Padma Bridge Rail Link project, two to three trains are being operated a day in this project. The revenue that the trains operate accumulates in the government coffers, but the loan installment amount of the project is several times higher than that.”

Government officials have been arguing that the cost of infrastructure construction in Bangladesh is higher than in other countries due to geographical differences. They said that being a riverine country, more bridges and culverts must be built for road construction in Bangladesh. A high barrier has to be built. Due to the soft soil, the piler had to be taken deep. And most of the construction materials used had to be imported. The responsible ministers of the government and members of parliament have commented at various times that these issues have increased the cost of infrastructure construction. Government officials also spoke in the same tone.

However, Mustafizur Rahman, a fellow of the research institute Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), wholly rejected this argument. He told Bonik Barta, “The project cost may be a bit higher due to the difference in these geographical features of Bangladesh with other countries. Even if these costs are taken into account, it will be seen that the construction costs here are unusually high compared to other countries of the world. Various comparative studies have been conducted worldwide, but these issues have also emerged. The issues of high cost of infrastructure construction in Bangladesh must be reviewed so that when we do such constructions in the future, we can do them cost-effectively.”