The team had already served a termination letter to the DCC authorities early this month, but is yet to get a reply.

The letter would be effective from June, if the DCC does not respond by today (May 31), Dr Alamgir M Hoque, a professor at the Civil Engineering Department and head of the experts team, told The Daily Star on Monday.

"They (DCC) are not paying our fees for the last one year," Dr Alamgir said adding "We could not play effective role regarding the modification design and layout of the flyover, which contains major flaws."

The DCC hired the team on a three-year contract signed on March 19, 2006, seven months after the Belhasa-Accom Associates Ltd was awarded the contract for the construction of the flyover. The team comprises of seven experts from Buet (Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology).

DCC, the implementing agency and the coordination body of the flyover who accepted the modified design and layout prepared by Buet team, has been keeping mum so far regarding the termination letter. No DCC official was available for comments in this regard when contacted.

"We appointed supporting staffs and engineers to perform our task and that's why we need money to cover their expenses," Dr Alamgir said adding, " We could have gone forward with our work even if they (DCC) had assured us that we would be paid later."

The Buet team suggested bringing significant changes in the present design and layout of the flyover including cutting the number of ramps through which vehicles will enter and exit the flyover. It also criticised the way in which traffic was being artificially forced onto the flyover apparently to increase revenue.

The joint venture of the UAE-based construction firm Belhasa International LLC and Accom Engineering Company Ltd is chaired by Orion Group owner M Obaidul Karim, who is in hiding after being implicated as the key man in the case of embezzlement of Tk 596.44 crore from the Oriental Bank.

The Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover is an 8-km stretch of mainly elevated highway aimed at easing Dhaka's heavily congested traffic. It is a build-own-operate-and-transfer (BOOT) scheme in which the constructor finances the building in return for the right to collect tolls for a set period of time.