The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Thursday approved the ‘Dhaka Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply Project’ costing Tk 5,248 crore to increase the supply of purified water to the city dwellers to meet the growing demand.
The approval came from the ECNEC meeting held at the National Economic Council (NEC) conference room in city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar with ECNEC chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Secretary Bhuiyan Shafiqul Islam said a total of 11 development projects involving a cost of Tk 16,265 crore were approved today (Thursday). “Of the total project costs, Tk 9,851 crore will come from the government exchequer while Tk 6,414 crore as project assistance,”
Under the Dhaka Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply Project, a water treatment plant will be set up at Gondharbapur area in Narayanganj.
Planning Ministry sources said that once this project is completed, water from River Meghna would be brought into the plant for treatment through pipeline and some 50 crore litres of water per day will be supplied in the capital after treatment.
The city dwellers in old Dhaka, Motijheel, Paltan, Fakirerpool, Uttara, Gulshan, Banani, Nikunja, Khilkhet, Badda and Mirpur areas will get sufficient water under the project. Development partners like ADB, AFD (France) and EIB will provide Tk 3,499 crore for the project.
The day’s ECNEC meeting also gave nod to the third revised Primary Education Stipend (2nd phase) project raising its cost to Tk 5,687 crore. Under the project, the poor primary school students across the country are being provided Tk 100 as stipend per month.
Planning Ministry sources said that from July 2008 to December 2009, some 48,15,636 poor primary school students have been provided stipends while the number of stipend recipients was 78,17,977 from January 2010 to June 2013. The 3rd revision of the project set a target of providing stipend to 78,70,129 students from July 2013 to June 2015.
The other projects approved in the meeting are Extension of National Institute of Traumatology & Orthopedic Rehabilitation (Tk 336 crore); Increase of crop production through improved water management technology at farm level (Tk 35 crore); construction of four bridges on Bakshiganj-Balugao-Dewanganj road (Tk 53 crore); water supply, sanitation, and drainage project in Sylhet and Barisal metropolis under Local Government Division (Tk 282 crore); construction of four textile institutes project (1st revised, Tk 227 crore); Meghnaghat-Aminbazar 400 KV distribution line (phase-1, 1st revised – Tk 597 crore); construction and expansion of Distribution Network of North & South Zone under DPDC project (Tk 511 crore); Central zone power distribution project (Tk 1,439 crore); and construction of new 132/33 and 33/11 KV sub station under DPDC (Tk 1,851 crore).
ECNEC members including Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Planning Minister AK Khandker and Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, Advisers to the Prime Minister, Planning Commission members and concerned secretaries were present in the meeting.
Source: UNB Connect
