The government has taken up a project to improve the security systems at four major airports in the country in the wake of recent rise in gold smuggling as well as increase in air traffic.
The project worth Tk293 crore will be implemented in Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong, Jessore Airport and Syedpur Airport by June 2017 under the supervision of the civil aviation authority.
“Since air traffic has been increasing in line with the economic growth, the security system [at the airports] needs to be improved,” said Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal after a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday.
A comprehensive security system would also be developed at the Shahjalal International Airport to check gold smuggling, he said.
The airport security strengthening was one of the seven projects worth Tk1,353.46 crore Ecnec approved at the meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Under the project, modern radars will be set up at the Dhaka and Chittagong airports and the 25-year-old conventional omnidirectional radio range of Jessore and Syedpur airports will be replaced by modern doppler VOR (VHF Omni Directional Radio Range).
Of the total costs of the seven projects, Tk1,102.64 crore will come from the national exchequer and Tk 250.82 crore from the funds of the organisations concerned.
Ecnec also revised the cost of an ongoing project for upgrading the Dhaka airport to Tk563 crore from Tk414 crore.
The government will also expand power supply to rural areas in Khulna and Barisal divisions as it approved two separate projects involving Tk1,834 crore.
Under rural electricity expansion project 2 for the two divisions, the Rural Electrification Board will connect 4.5 lakh consumers in 11 districts, installing 10,700km of new electricity distribution lines and rehabilitate 1,300km existing ones.
The meeting of the Ecnec also revised the costs of the Dhaka water supply and sanitation project to Tk644 crore; third phase construction of small bridges and culverts on rural roads to Tk1,085 crore; the New Dakatia and old Dakatia small Feni River water sewerage project to Tk281crore; and the school feeding programme in some of the poverty-prone areas to Tk3,146 crore.
Besides, the meeting approved the change in the title of a project to Coastal Towns Environmental Infrastructure Project (CTEIP) from Coastal Towns Infrastructure Improvement Project (CTIIP).
Of the total project cost for Ashuganj-Bhulta 400KV Transmission Line Project, Tk637.85 crore will come from the government exchequer while Tk215.82 crore will be provided by the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Limited (PGCBL), which is implementing the project. The targetted finish line of the project is June 2017.