The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday approved eight projects, including the Jatrabari-Demra 4-lane highway, involving an estimated cost of Tk1893.22 crore.
The approval came from the maiden Ecnec meeting of the present government’s term held with its Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at the NEC Conference Room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area, reports BSS and UNB.
Briefing the reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said: “The total expenditure of all the projects will come from the Government of Bangladesh portion.”
Of the approved eight projects, seven are new while one is a revised project.
Roads and Highways Department will implement the project by June 2020 entirely with government funds.
The main project objectives include upgrading the Jatrabari-Demra Highway into four-lanes, ensuring smooth plying of vehicles through minimizing traffic congestion, introducing separate service lanes for plying of engine-based and engine-less vehicles and thus reducing accident tendency to a big extent, Ecnec officials said.
An official at the Roads and Highways Division said the vehicles to and from Sylhet usually avoid the Kanchpur Bridge due to traffic congestion and use the Tarabo-Jatrabari road which is 10km long and 7.3 metre wide.
Under the proposed project, the highways will be upgraded into four-lanes with a width of 15.60 metre.
There will also be separate service lanes for slow-moving vehicles.
The main project operations include land acquisition, some 4.1633 lakh cubic-metre earthworks, construction of the four-lane main carriage way, construction of a 6.645 kilometer service lane, construction of eight underpasses, construction of a PC girder bridge, over bridge, and drains with pavements.
Referring to the approval of the Tk257.21 crore Chollisha- (Bagra)- Kunia- Medni- Razurbazar Link Highway Project in Netrakona, the minister said this highway would facilitate the communication of the people of haor region of Netrakona and Sunamganj.
The other projects approved in the meeting are—
Eradication of PPR Disease and control of Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease with Tk345.03 crore,
- Production and marketing of nutrition enriched high-value crops to alleviate poverty with Tk206.35 crore,
- Development of existing seven textile vocational institutes and establishment of six textile vocational institutes with Tk353.90 crore,
- Museum building extension and construction of other physical infrastructure of the Bangladesh Folk Art and Craft Foundation with Tk147.26 crore,
- Extension of Gopalganj BSCIC Industrial Estate (third Revision) with Tk102.83 crore,
- Construction of nine narrow bridges and replacing nine dilapidated bridges with RCC/Girder bridges on Gobindaganj-Chatak-Doarabazar road with Tk111.77 crore.
Ministers and state ministers attended the meeting while Planning Commission members and secretaries concerned were present.
The new Planning Minister said his goal will be to bring more dynamism into the activities of the ministry and the Planning Commission to push up the GDP growth further.
"We'll have to maintain utmost carefulness while spending public funds," he added.