Dhaka, Oct. 18 -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has inquired about the status of the proposed MRT line-5 (south) as the project has faced a setback in the middle of the approval process, officials say.

On Friday, they said the Manila-based lender had informed the government that its MRT-5 project funds would dry up after 2025 if Bangladesh failed to start construction this year.

At a tripartite meeting among the ADB, the Economic Relations Division (ERD), and the project-implementing agencies, the lender had informed the government of this.

A senior ERD official told The Financial Express they were waiting for the approval of the project's Development Project Proposal (DPP), which was pending at the Planning Commission (PC).

"After...