ECNEC okays 8 projects worth BDT over 5,441 crore

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has nodded eight development projects involving taka 5 thousand 441 core 63 lakh. 

The approval came during a regular meeting of the committee with Prime Minister and ECNEC chairperson Sheikh Hasina in the chair on Tuesday (August 24). 

The PM joined the meeting through video conferencing from her official residence Ganabhaban. 

Briefing the press after the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said that a total of eight projects were approved today involving an overall estimated cost of Taka 5,441.63 crore. 

Of the total project cost, Taka 3,332.72 crore will come from the government of Bangladesh, Taka 47.93 crore from the concerned organization’s own fund while the rest Taka 2,060.98 crore as project assistance, added he. 

Of the approved eight projects, seven are new while one is a revised project.

The project includes transforming the plant quarantine laboratory to international standard situated at the central packing house with Taka 156.36 crore, State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam said

The export of agricultural products of the country is now hovering around Taka 8,500 crore and it is not increasing further.

The project would modernize the laboratory with addition of modern equipment and latest technology which would further expedite the export of agricultural products. 

The Kewatkhali Bridge project will be implemented by the Roads and Highways Department under the Road Transport and Highways Division. 

The project aims to reduce congestion and improve mobility and connectivity by addressing the cross-river bottleneck between Mymensingh and Shambhugonj on the Dhaka-Mymensingh-India corridor, the minister continued. 

He said, the project also seeks to ease traffic congestion in the Mymensingh city by diverting traffic away from the city’s central area via the construction of the Kewatkhali Bridge over the Brahmaputra River at Mymensingh with the overpasses and approach road.

Another project approved in the meeting is Urban Resilience Project: Dhaka North City Corporation Part (DNCC Part), 1st revised with an additional cost of Taka 66.18 crore.