The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) has approved a mammoth project, with an estimated cost of more than Tk8,690 crore, to provide electricity to one crore citizens across the country.
The decision came at the second Ecnec meeting of the current government, held at the National Economic Council (NEC) conference room in Dhaka on Tuesday, with Ecnec Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in chair, UNB reported.
It was the 16th Ecnec meeting of the 2018-19 fiscal year.
Planning Minister MA Mannan made the announcement during a press briefing after the meeting.
He said this project, titled “Extension of Rural Electrification (first revised) Project,” was the biggest project in terms of cost that was approved at Tuesday’s meeting.
Under the project, around 1.95 million new client connections will be installed, bringing nearly 10 million people under the electricity coverage, at a cost of Tk8,690.89 crore.
Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), under the Power Division, will implement the project by June 2020, the planning minister told reporters.
Including this power project, a total of nine projects were approved at the Ecnec meeting, with an estimated cost of Tk16,433.27 crore.
To fund these projects, the government will provide Tk13,620.27 crore, while Tk285.61 crore will be provided by the organizations involved, and the rest will be paid through foreign loans, Mannan said.
Further the mammoth power project, three other power-related projects were approved: construction of simple cycle (HSD-based) Syedpur 150MW power plant at an estimated cost of Tk1,000.99 crore, Rangpur Division Power Supply Line and Sub-Station Extension and Rehabilitation Project costing Tk1,123.85 crore, and Rajshahi Division Power Supply Line and Sub-Station Extension and Rehabilitation Project at the cost of Tk1,091.32 crore.
Of the three projects, the BREB will implement the first project by June 2021, while the Northern Electricity Supply Company (NESCO) Ltd will implement the other two by June 2022.
Ecnec also okayed “70 Metre-Gauge (MG) Diesel Electric Locomotive Collection (first revised) (proposed) Project,” to procure 70 locomotives at the cost of Tk2,659.33 crore.
Also Read- Government mulls integrated ticketing system for all modes of transportation
This project has been undertaken because the improvement of the railway system is in the central focus of the government, the planning minister said.
At the meeting, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also stressed the necessity of careful use of land amid the rapid industrialization, Mannan further said.
She also directed the land minister to formulate a detailed plan over the use of land, fixing priority areas for industry, crop cultivation and housing.
The prime minister said austerity and cautionary exercise were necessary in the use of land, particularly arable land, the planning minister said.
Other projects that were also approved are: Establishment of 99 composite brigades for the security of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge (revised) project; upgrading the Link Road-Laboni intersection road into four lanes in Cox's Bazar; construction of 103.43-metre bridge on Aricha (Barangail)-Ghior-Daulatpur-Tangail road; and development of a switching and transmission network to strengthening digital connectivity.