The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday approved eight development projects worth Tk2,865 crore, including inter district border road construction to boost connectivity and facilitate trade between Bangladesh and neighboring India.
The approval came at the Ecnec meeting held at the conference room of the National Economic Council (NEC) with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
While briefing the meeting, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said: “Of the total approved eight projects worth over Tk1,536 crore will come from the government exchequer while over Tk1,328 crore as foreign assistance.”
The inter-district border road construction project will be implemented at a cost of over Tk457 crore under the supervision of Roads and Highways Department. The project is expected to be completed by June 2019 and the entire cost will be borne from the government exchequer.
The project will be implemented at Durgapur and Kalmakanda upazilas of Netrakona and Haluaghat and Dhobaura upazilas of Mymensingh districts.
Under the project, an 80-kilometer road will be constructed as part of the 214-kilometer long Sunamganj-Netrakona-Mymensingh-Sherpur-Jamalpur road. In Netrakona part, the proposed border road is along with bordering area of Moheshkhola, connecting point of Sunamganj and Netrakona, to Tinali area on the Birishiri-Bijoypur land port road.
Since the proposed road boarders Kalmakanda upazila with a length of 36 kilometer, it is very important for expanding trade between Bangladesh and India.
Another 44-kilometer road in Mymensingh part (Hatipagar-Bijoypur) is a connecting road for the bordering districts.
Commenting on the project, the Planning Minister stated that it would boost connectivity in the region while such kind of roads would be constructed in phases in the bordering areas. He said the number of border huts would also be increased in the coming days.
The meeting also gave nod to the “Protection of Polder 56/57 from the River erosion of Meghna at Doulatkhan and Borhanuddin upazilas under Bhola district with around Tk552 crore to protect the Shahbazpur gas field, homes, roads, farmland and other public and private infrastructures.
The Ecnec also downsized the project cost of the Water Management Development Project (3rd revised)” by over Tk166 crore to around Tk816 crore as the Netherlands had earlier withdrawn its committed US$17.35 million fund from the project.
