Under the project, sophisticated seismographs and other devices will be installed at the four seismic observatories --the decades-old observatory in Chittagong and three new ones in Sylhet,Rangpur and in Gazipur, Meteorological department sources said.

Buildings were constructed for the three new ones about three years ago.

The project will be completed by the end of the current financial year.

Tender for procurement of sophisticated machinery and equipment for the observatories was floated recently. Bids were submitted last week and they will be evaluated soon to issue work orders, an official said.

Back in 1999-2000, a Tk 10-crore project was taken up for establishing four observatories at places considered highly vulnerable to earthquake -- Sylhet, Chittagong, Rangpur and Gazipur.

Later, the project was revised raising the cost to Tk 18.17 crore. Construction of buildings under the project was completed in 2002 but suspension of fund allocation since fiscal 2001-2002 stalled its implementation.

Last year, the project was reviewed, dropping agiculture-related forecasts and revising the cost to Tk 14.02 crore.

The Public Works Department has started giving finishing touches to the three new observatory buildings to hand them over to Meteorology department shortly, officials said.