Dhaka Metro will be as safe, integrated as Delhi Metro: JICA chief in Dhaka
The country's first metro rail is going to be inaugurated partially (Uttara-Agargaon) later this month. The project known as Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6 is mainly funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In a recent interview with The Business Standard's Senior Staff Correspondent Saifuddin Saif and Staff Correspondent Kamran Siddiqui, JICA Chief Representative to Bangladesh Ichiguchi Tomohide expressed his views on various aspects of the metro rail project and how it could help to reduce traffic congestion in Dhaka city and leave positive impacts on the lives of people as a whole.
Please share with us your feelings as the inauguration of the MRT Line-6 is just weeks away.
I was the director for Bangladesh in JICA's South Asia Department in Tokyo from 2011 to 2012. We formulated the MRT Line-6 project at that time. We conducted its feasibility study. So, I personally made a lot of efforts in the formulation of the project including adjustment of alignment. Alignment was a big issue at that time. So much coordination was required among various government agencies. We faced a lot of difficulties, but we overcame those and finally formulated the project. After 10 years, I came to Bangladesh as JICA's chief representative here. I am able to see the inauguration of the commercial operation of this project. That is really a very exciting moment.
I strongly believe that this MRT Line-6 will make a revolutionary change in people's life, particularly that of the ordinary people of Bangladesh. MRT Line-6 can provide quite efficient, comfortable, safe, timely, model public transport. Of course, we can expect alleviation of traffic congestion as well as air pollution, but also we expect a big change in the lives of the people, particularly women. You may look at Delhi metro where JICA has provided big assistance for 25 years since 1997. And now the network is huge – almost 400-km, which is going to contribute a lot to traffic congestion alleviation. So, the expansion of the Delhi metro has a very big impact on living near the stations, particularly on the female labour participation. Previously, there was no safe mode of transportation for women. But thanks to the Delhi metro, women now can feel more comfortable going to other places for work. We expect a similar impact in Dhaka as well. I was in India from 2013 to 2016. According to many surveys, Delhi metro is the most reliable, safe, model of transport. I think similar things will happen in Dhaka.
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How did JICA get involved with the MRT Line-6 project?
The initiation was when we conducted the first phase of the Dhaka Urban Traffic Project Formulation Study (DHUTS) in 2009. Before that, the World Bank provided assistance in preparing the Strategic Transport Plan (STP) in Dhaka. In that plan, the construction of a metro rail was suggested. Three BRT lines and three MRT lines were proposed. Later, it was changed to two BRT and five MRT lines. In our study, however, we found that MRT Line-6 was the most feasible among the proposed lines and that it should be taken up as the first MRT line project. So, we conducted a feasibility study from 2010 to 2011 when I was the director for Bangladesh. Based on that, we decided to provide loans. The first loan agreement was signed in 2013. After that, we provided a number of loans. We have provided 255,700 million Japanese Yen for this project out of its total cost of 435200 million Japanese Yen. Many Japanese companies are now working on this project and Japanese technology has been adopted. JICA also is monitoring the project and we have day-to-day contact with the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) to ensure the quality of the work as well as the safety of workers, and speedy implementation of the project.
After MRT-6, MRT-1 and MRT-5 are funded by JICA. What role do you think metro rail will play in reducing traffic congestion in Dhaka city?
For MRT-6, I think traffic congestion along the route will be alleviated, which is only a small portion of Dhaka city. So, to alleviate traffic congestion in Dhaka effectively, a greater MRT network is required. For example, the Delhi metro has an almost 400km network. Even the subway in Tokyo is 300km. But, the total length of MRT Line-6, MRT Line-1, and MRT Line-5 is 100km. As I said, traffic congestion could be reduced partially if MRT Line-6, MRT Line-1, MRT Line-5 become operational. But, the country requires quite a drastic reduction in traffic congestion in the capital. For that purpose, more MRT networks are crucial.
Bangladesh wants to become a developed country by 2041. What kind of transport infrastructure is needed for a developed country? How else can JICA contribute to this?
First of all, as I said, the construction of more metro rail lines is required in Dhaka. Secondly, the inter-model connection between MRT and other transport models is also important. That is why we are now conducting technical cooperation to promote, what we call TOD (Transit Oriented Development). There is three on-going technical cooperation projects for MRT. One is safety, the second is the "Rapid Pass" – the integrated ticketing/fare collection system, and the third one is TOD. This is a kind of effort to connect inter-model transport between MRT and other transports, particularly public buses. That has happened in Delhi. So, a similar thing should happen in Dhaka as well. Also, township development around the stations through TOD is another issue. But, only MRT and TOD cannot solve the problem. Road construction is also required. Road density in Dhaka is much smaller than in many other cities in Asia. So, roads should be further developed. The enforcement of traffic rules and traffic signals also should develop in Dhaka. If we take a look at cities in many developed countries, traffic signals work there and people really comply with such traffic rules and signals. Therefore, infrastructure, people's awareness, and enforcement of traffic rules are required for better transport.
And also urban railway is a key if you take a look at any developed country. Although the US is another story, people rely on public transport in other countries, particularly on the urban railway. If you go to London, people use the tube. If you go to Japan, people use the railway for commuting. In Beijing, people use the subway metro. I think that should be created in Dhaka in the future for the country to be a developed country.
Incidents like the Holey Artisan café attack took place before the MRT-6 construction began. Japanese citizens also died in the incident. However, the progress of the metro rail was not stopped. How did JICA pass that difficult time?
I think we could overcome such a difficult challenge, thanks to the efforts made by the Bangladesh government, particularly the DMTCL. When the incident happened, only one contract was signed – CP-1: Deport Land Development by Tokyu Construction. After the incident, many companies were reluctant to come to join such bidding for some kind of fear. To overcome such fears, the DMTCL decided to introduce better measures to enhance safety, including mandatory construction of walls in a compound area and surrounding construction offices, and installing CCTV cameras or employment of security companies. They decided to include those safety measures in the bidding documents. Then, many companies feel safer, and more comfortable in joining in the bidding. Otherwise, I think, many companies would continue to remain reluctant to participate in the bidding. Also, after that incident, we have carried out consultations with the government on how we can ensure safety. We have had regular discussions with the home ministry, and we continued to monitor what we can do to give confidence to companies and consultants. We do not forget that incident, particularly the killing of seven Japanese. All of them were working on the feasibility study for MRT lines. They were dedicated to the realisation of the MRT projects. We should not forget them. So every year in July, we organise memorial ceremonies. And we also have established a memorial monument in the information centre located in Depot. Last July, we organised a memorial service there for the first time and we will continue that. We have made a pledge to ensure safety and security. We are going to transfer the memorial monument from the information centre to Natun Bazar station once it is completed.
Japanese workers have worked on the MRT-6 project by taking huge health risks during the Covid-19 pandemic. How did you face that tough situation?
Covid-19 was the second major challenge. The Bangladesh government and the DMTCL made tremendous efforts to implement the project. Initially, right after the Covid-19 outbreak, they suspended the work, because safety was the first priority. But after a few months, they decided to take better measures including mandatory mask-wearing, keeping social distance, and disinfecting and setting up some hand washing places. Also construction of some medical facilities for the people. By applying and introducing those measures, the contractors were able to resume the construction after a few months.
The government has asked for financial and technical support from JICA to implement the MRT Line-4 and MRT Line-2 projects. Does JICA have any plans to get involved with these projects?
There were two contact signing ceremonies for MRT Line-1 recently. One is for consultancy, and the second is for a depot. In those ceremonies, the managing director of the DMTCL made some remarks. He said that he wanted JICA to carry out the feasibility study for MRT Line-2 and Line-4. So, we have to make decisions in consultation with the Japanese government.
The Bangladesh government is planning to establish metro rail networks in other major cities including Chattogram. Does JICA have any plans to get engaged with these projects?
We want to concentrate on Dhaka first, because Dhaka still needs huge funding. Only half of MRT Line-6 is set for completion, the remaining part of MRT-6 is yet to be completed. Also, construction work on Line-1, Line-5 has not started yet. So, a huge amount of loan is still required. And huge efforts are required not only by the DMTCL but also from our side. So, for the time being, I think we should concentrate on Dhaka. But we are open to further cooperation on such projects in other cities if they are deemed necessary, and if the Bangladesh government requests us to join. We have not received any such requests for Chattogram metro.
Some key JICA-funded projects in Bangladesh include the expansion of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, the construction of the Jamuna Railway Bridge, the construction of second bridges at Kanchpur, Meghna, and Gumti, strengthening the Dhaka-Chattogram power grid, the Karnaphuli Water Supply Project (Phase 2), and the Chattogram City Outer Ring Road. How can JICA provide more funds for new mega projects in the future?
For that, discussions with the government of Bangladesh are necessary. Definitely, Bangladesh is really important to us, and Japan also is very important to Bangladesh. We will continue such large-scale cooperation with Bangladesh. But for a project, it depends on discussions between the countries. Because we always provide cooperation to projects which are prioritised by the government of Bangladesh. We cannot decide, they should decide. So, we need further discussions on what kind of project should be funded by JICA in the future.
