The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Wednesday approved 12 development projects involving Tk 1,68,780 crore, including three metro rail schemes.
Seven of the projects are new, while the remaining five are revised ones.
The projects were approved at a meeting of the Ecnec held at the Cabinet Room of the Bangladesh Secretariat, with Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson Tarique Rahman in the chair.
The Road Transport and Bridges Ministry has five projects on the list, while the Defence Ministry and the Railway Ministry have two each.
The Ministries of Rural Development and Cooperatives, Labour and Employment, and Power, Energy and Mineral Resources have one project each.
Three metro rail schemes
Among the major projects approved are the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line-5) for both the Southern and Northern routes, and the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line-1).
The Line-5 Southern Route is a new project, while the Northern Route and Line-1 projects are revised schemes.
The Road Transport and Bridges Ministry also received approval for upgrading district highways under the Rajshahi Road Zone and Chattogram Road Zone.
The Chattogram project is the third phase of the highway upgrade programme.
Railway, defence and other projects
The approved railway projects include the ‘Implementation of electric traction along the Narayanganj-Dhaka-Joydebpur section of Bangladesh Railway’ and construction of a new dual-gauge railway line between Bogura and Sirajganj.
The latter is a revised project.
Under the Defence Ministry, Ecnec approved the second-phase establishment of Barishal Cantonment and construction of accommodation facilities and other infrastructure for naval personnel in the Khulna Naval Area.
Other approved projects include development of the Khulna sewerage system, improved working conditions and social protection for workers in the textile and leather sectors, and upgrading and expansion of the electricity distribution system in the Manpura island region.
Funding
According to a Planning Ministry press release, the government will finance Tk 48,256.30 crore of the total project cost from its own funds.
Project loans will account for the remaining Tk 1,20,466.39 crore.
Meanwhile, the Ecnec was informed about 15 projects costing less than Tk 50 crore each that had already received approval from the planning minister.
These include land management automation, construction of the national headquarters of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, and green belt establishment and reforestation in Bhasan Char and Rohingya-affected areas of Cox’s Bazar.
Other projects on the list include research and conservation of indigenous chickens, telecommunications network development in economic zones, and strengthening social protection under the SSPIRIT programme.
The list also includes replacement of dilapidated and risky Bailey and other bridges, expansion of the RDA building, infrastructure development at Jalalabad Cantonment, preparation of a digital elevation model for Sylhet Division, and infrastructure development of educational institutions in Saidpur and Khulna.
Development of Barguna and Dinajpur district stadiums, including construction of a dormitory and an indoor stadium respectively, and drilling of the Sylhet-10 well are also among the projects.
