The government is set to place 11 development projects before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Wednesday, including a Tk4,963.67 crore rural road rehabilitation scheme and a Tk1,154.83 crore plan to upgrade Dhaka Medical College infrastructure.
The projects include seven new and four revised schemes, according to Planning Commission officials. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, also Ecnec chairperson, will preside over the meeting at the NEC conference room in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
A total of 20 projects will be placed before the meeting. Of these, 11 will seek approval, while nine already approved projects will be presented for information.
The meeting will also launch a project monitoring dashboard and unveil the “Five Year Strategic Framework for Reform and Development (July 2026-June 2031)”.
The largest new proposal on the agenda is the Tk4,963.67 crore “Rural Road Rehabilitation and Strengthening” project, which will be funded entirely by the government.
The project aims to rehabilitate 5,223 kilometres of rural roads and 7,000 metres of bridges and culverts across 495 upazilas.
According to the Planning Commission, the scheme is designed to restore damaged roads, improve transport safety, reduce travel costs and time, and facilitate the movement of agricultural and other goods to markets.
The Tk1,154.83 crore Dhaka Medical College infrastructure project will replace old, earthquake-vulnerable and risky buildings with modern academic facilities, student hostels, residential quarters, a mosque and service buildings.
The proposed 15-storey academic building, with three basement levels, will include four 300-seat lecture theatres and two 300-seat examination halls. The project also includes an 800-seat student hostel, a 15-storey residential building and a four-storey mosque with capacity for 800 worshippers.
Solar power facilities, rainwater harvesting, green spaces and modern waste management systems are also part of the plan.
Ecnec will also consider a revised proposal to increase the cost and extend the deadline of a project to construct hostel facilities for medical students.
The revised proposal adds a female hostel at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College in Bogura, raising the project cost by Tk201.71 crore and extending the deadline to December 2028.
The project aims to construct 20 hostel buildings across 11 medical colleges, providing accommodation for 9,268 students.
In the energy sector, Ecnec will consider a proposal to purchase two product oil tankers with capacities of 40,000 to 55,000 deadweight tonnes.
The project, scheduled for July 2026 to December 2028, aims to reduce dependence on foreign vessels and increase Bangladesh’s own capacity to transport imported fuel.
A bridge maintenance technology project funded by South Korea’s Korea International Cooperation Agency is also on the agenda.
The Tk115.73 crore project includes Tk107.97 crore in foreign assistance and Tk7.76 crore from the government. It aims to introduce modern bridge health monitoring technology, repair three bridges, install structural health monitoring systems, establish an Integrated Bridge Maintenance Centre in Dhaka and enhance the capacity of Roads and Highways Department officials.
The proposal includes Tk7.15 crore for overseas training and Tk65.15 crore for consultancy services.
Meanwhile, the cost of a Dhaka Electric Supply Company infrastructure expansion project is proposed to rise by Tk627.23 crore, or 27 per cent.
Officials attributed the increase to foreign exchange rate fluctuations, higher construction interest costs and delays in signing an agreement with the Asian Development Bank.
Other projects on the approval list include Dharla Riverbank protection, Sitakunda coastal embankment strengthening, protection of Godanchowbari retention pond and the Turag River, capacity enhancement of the Department of Livestock Services, a 100MW solar power plant in Jamalpur and infrastructure development in the Dhaka Electric Supply Company area.
Nine approved projects will be placed before Ecnec for information. These include the Bangladesh Environmental Sustainability and Transformation project, Sundarbans protection, vaccine research capacity enhancement, south-western transmission grid expansion, an underground grid substation in Gulshan, electricity distribution improvement, mosque library expansion, better use of new media and primary education development projects in Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban and Bhasan Char.
