The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) Tuesday approved three development projects involving Taka 637 crore including procurement of two passenger launches for Dhaka-Barisal routes.
The approval came at the 25th ECNEC meeting of the current fiscal held at the NEC conference room in city’s Sher-e-Banglanagar with the ECENC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Planning Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal briefed the newsmen about the outcomes of the ECNEC meeting. Of the total project cost of Taka 636.96 crore, he said, the government will provide Taka 622.51 crore from the national exchequer while the organization concerned will contribute Taka 14 crore.
Kamal informed a total of six development projects, of which three related to Dhaka City Corporations, were supposed to place before the ECNEC.
“The ECNEC dropped the three projects considering that approval of those projects would be contradicted with the election rules of city corporations,” said the minister.
The Election Commission has already declared the schedule of Dhaka North, South and Chittagong City Corporations election, which would be held on April 28.
On the other hand, the Planning Minister announced the implementation status of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) of the first nine months (July-March) of the current fiscal, which registered 43 per cent progress. The implementation progress was 40 per cent at the same period of the previous fiscal.
During the period, a total of Taka 36,923 crore has been disbursed which was Taka 29,945 crore in the previous fiscal, added Kamal.
He said the two launches involving Taka 72.24 crore will be manufactured locally and each will have 764 passengers’ capacities.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWRC) has taken the project to transport passengers in Dhaka-Barisal route. Later, the operation of those launches would be extended to Khulna.
The BIWTC has a total of six launches in its fleet of which five are become aged.
The ECNEC approved another project “Up-gradation of Bimanbandar Bypass Intersection-Lalbag-Salutikar-Companyganj-Bholaganj Road into National Highway” involving Taka 441 crore.
Under the project, the minister said, a total of 32km road will be upgraded into national highways to facilitate the transportation of stone as 70 per cent of the total stone is collected from Bholaganj.
Roads and Highways Division is entrusted with the implementation of the project by February, 2018.
Another project approved by the ECNEC is “Construction of Primary Infrastructures of Stadium in Upazila Level” involving Taka 123.18 crore.
National Sports Council will implement the project by June 2016.
Ministers and State Ministers attended the meeting while Planning Commission members and secretaries concerned were present.
