The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday approved ‘The Coastal Town Infrastructure Development Project’ involving Tk 875 crore to pave the way for developing climate resilient infrastructures in eight coastal municipalities of the country.
The approval came from an Ecnec meeting held at the NEC conference room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area with its chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Division Secretary Bhuiyan Shafiqul Islam said a total of 17 projects with an aggregate outlay of Tk 4,579 crore were approved in the meeting.
“Of the total cost, Tk 2,937 crore will come from the government exchequer while the remaining Tk 1,642 crore will come as project assistance,” he added.
The eight municipalities to be covered under ‘The Coastal Town Infrastructure Development Project’ are: Pirojpur, Mothbaria, Borguna, Amtali, Golachipa, Kalapara, Bhola and Doulatkhan.
Planning Ministry sources said that under the project, there will be construction of 106 km road, 194 km water supply pipeline, 51 community latrines, toilets in 10 primary schools and development of 85 km drainage system.
Besides, the capacity building activities of the municipalities would be strengthened to expedite operational system and create resilience to combat climate change effects. ADB, Strategic Climate Fund and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will provide Tk 705 crore for the project.
The day’s Ecnec meeting approved another project aiming at introducing
around 1.5 lakh prepaid electricity meters in Mymensingh and Comilla
city to improve the quality of customer service and stop revenue
evasion with a cost of Tk 132 crore.
The prepaid metering system would ensure 100 percent revenue income and reduction of non-technical loss in the concerned area. It would also improve PDB’s weak management and remove customers’ harassment on bill payment. Germany will provide a loan of Tk 104 crore to implement the two and a half year project.
The other projects approved in the meeting are: “Establishment of Paikgachha agriculture college project” (Tk 45 crore GoB); Expansion of modern small scale irrigation system in greater Rangpur district (Tk 34 crore-GoB); Construction of two bridges over Brahmaputra River under Islampur Upazilla of Jamalpur district (2nd revised) project (Tk 209 crore-GoB); Construction of 520.60 meter long bridge over Dhaleshwari River on Nagorpur-Mirzapur via Mokna road under Nagorpur Upazilla of Tangail district(Tk 70 crore-GoB); Establishment of BNA
Bangabandhu complex, Patenga Ctg.(revised) project(Tk 171 crore-GoB) and Construction and Improvement of Mirpur Cantonment Bypass Road, Ceramic
Road and other Roads, Drains and Footpath of Pallabi Area project(Tk
41 crore-GoB).
The projects also include Construction of Sheikh Kamal Bridge, Sheikh Jamal
Bridge and Sheikh Rasel Bridge on Patuakhali- Kuakata road, 2nd
revised (Tk 174 crore, GoB-134, PA-40); Construction of Ansar VDP
battalion head quarters complex projcet (Tk 172 crore-GoB); Renovation
of dilapidated Rail line of Chinki Astana-Ashu ganj section and
ancilary works (1st revised) project (Tk 297 crore-GoB); Procurement
of 100 meter gauge and 50 Broad gauge passenger carriage for
Bangladesh Railway project” (Tk-1130 crore, GoB-337 crore and PA-793
crore); Construction of BMA Bangabandhu complex, Vatiary, Ctg.
(revised) project” (Tk-329 crore-GoB); Establishment of three 50 bed
BGB hospital (Chuadanga, Thakurgaon and Khagrachari) (2nd revised)
project (Tk-213 crore-GoB); Establishment of 3rd Branch of Essential
Drugs Company Ltd. (EDCL) at Gopalganj project (Tk-597 crore-GoB);
Improvement of Primary Drainage system and reconstruction of Nagar
Bhaban with procurement of Essential Vehicles and equipments for
Sylhet City Corporation (1st revised) project (Tk-45 crore-GoB) and “
Completion of the remaining works of Banda Ghat-Airport (Sylhet) link
road (revised) project” (Tk-45 crore);
Ecnec members including Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Planning Minister
AK Khandker, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, ministers concerned, advisers to the Prime Minister, members of the Planning Commission, secretaries and officials concerned were present in the meeting.
Source: UNB Connect
