DHAKA, Nov 9, 2023 (BSS) - The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) today approved a Taka 6,140.19 crore project for ensuring necessary land acquisition and utility transfer for upgrading the Bhanga-Jashore-Benapole Highway into four-lane.

The approval came from the last meeting of the ECNEC in the current tenure of the government held with its Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said that the day's meeting approved a total of 44 projects involving an overall estimated cost of Taka 39,094.33 crore.

"Of the total project cost, Taka 29,953.44 crore will come from the government of Bangladesh portion, Taka 7,579.73 crore from project assistance while the rest of Taka 1,561.16 crore from concerned organisation’s own fund," he said.
 
The planning minister said that the Roads and Highways Department under the Road Transport and Highways Division will implement the upgradation of four-lane project with entire government fund by June 2026.

The main objective of the project is to ensure necessary land acquisition on both sides of the highway and utility transfer to upgrade the Bhanga-Jashore-Benapole Highway into four-lane.

The main project operations include some 969.36 acres of land acquisition, compensation for infrastructures and trees and utility transfer.

The other projects approved in the meeting are: Construction of Multi-Storey office building at administrative area in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka with Taka 171.73 crore, Construction of 123 flats for government officials and employees at Tejgaon Industrial Area in Dhaka with Taka 144.33 crore, Canal reexcavation, expansion, reform and development for addressing the water logging at Chattogram Metropolitan, 1st revised, with an additional cost of Taka 3,010.12 crore, Upgrading the connecting road of Lakshmipur, Noakhali and Feni districts with the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar into due standard and width with Taka 1,404.46 crore, Upgrading Illiotganj-Muradnagar-Ramchandrapur-Bancharampur district highway into due standard and width with Taka 348.26 crore, Constructing connecting road from RAJUK Purbachal 300 Feet to Madani Avenue Sylhet Highway, 2nd revised with an additional cost of Taka 199.91 crore, Upgrading Satkhira-Shokhipur-Kaliganj Highway and Kaliganj-Shyamnagar-Bhetkhali Highway into due standard and width with Taka 822.44 crore, Performance based operations and strengthening for four years the Dhaka-Chattogram National Highway (Daudkandi-Chattogram) portion, 1st revised with an additional cost of Taka 187.11 crore, Constructing multipurpose residential building for the cleaners of Dhaka North City Corporation at Gabtoli City Palli, 3rd revised with an additional cost of Taka 35.25 crore, Dhaka Water Supply Network Development, 2nd revised with an additional cost of Taka 200 crore, Extended Dhaka Water Supply Resilience Project with Taka 4040 crore, Dhaka Sanitation Improvement, 1st revised with an additional cost of Taka 1,332.29 crore, Various roads development, addressing of water logging and waste management development at Barishal City Corporation area with Taka 797.07 crore, Bangladesh e-passport and automated border control management formulation, 1st revised with an additional cost of Taka 4,402.45 crore, Further development of Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, 1st revised with an additional cost of Taka 60.09 crore, Establishment of RMU at Rajshahi Medical University, 1st revised with an additional cost of Taka 390.86 crore, Construction of necessary infrastructures and extension of ancillary facilities at Mugda Medical College with Taka 580.75 crore, Supporting Implementation of the Mother and Child Benefit Programme (SIMCBP) and Bangladesh Enhancing Investments and Benefits for Early Years (BEIBEY) with Taka 106.04 crore.

The other remaining projects approved in the meeting are: Land acquisition, development and ancillary works for Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman University, Kishoreganj with Taka 231.32 crore, Physical infrastructural development and training operations for strengthening the ICT education and research operations of NACTAR with Taka 151.57 crore, Establishing Innovation and Entrepreneur Development Academy, 3rd revised with an additional cost of Taka 171.18 crore, Improvement of Urban Public Health Preventive Services Project with Taka 1,181.50 crore, River Jamuna Sustainable Management Project-1, Disaster risk financing, component-3 with Taka 95.56 crore, Construction of gas, power and communications infrastructures for Moheshkhali Economic Zone-3 (Dholghata) with Taka 1,195.32 crore, Jashore Export Processing Zone area with Taka 1,642.73 crore, Protecting various areas of Jhalkati Sadar upazila and Nolchiti upazila from the erosion of River Sugandha with Taka 680.36 crore, Construction of town and union land offices across the country, 2nd phase with Taka 1,595.62 crore, Livestock and Dairy development project, 1st revised with an additional cost of Taka 1,109.56 crore, Modern Food Silo Construction, 3rd revised with an additional cost of Taka 323.38 crore, Construction of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park, Moulvibazar, 1st phase with Taka 364.11 crore, Establishing agricultural research center of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute at Meherpur Sadar and strengthening research operations suitable for the environment of mid-western region of the country with Taka 209.96 crore, Establishing Bangabandhu Pierre Elliott Trudeau agriculture technology center (BP-ATC) and enhancing capacity of agricultural research in Bangladesh with Taka 454.83 crore, Chattogram Hill Tracts Rural Infrastructures Development with Taka 732.88 crore and Rural Infrastructures Development of Madaripur, Shariatpur and Rajbari districts, 2nd revised with an additional cost of Taka 402.84 crore, Procurement of various types of equipments for enhancing the capacity of Dhaka Metropoliton Police with Taka 114.96 crore, Physical infrastructural development of nine pourashavas under Rangpur Division with Taka 480 crore, Integrated infrastructural development of Sylhet City Corporation including extended areas with Taka 1,459.74 crore, City infrastructural development of greater Pabna and Bogura districts with Taka 750 crore, Development of Feni-Porshuram-Bilonia road with Taka 335.23 crore, Flood management and improvement of livelihood of haor areas, 3rd revised with downsize cost of Taka 19 lakh, Protecting Bhola Sadar upazila from the erosion of River Meghna with Taka 689.10 crore, Progress on decent works in Bangladesh with Taka 268.41 crore and BSCIC Plastic Industrial Estate, 3rd revised with an additional cost of Taka 81 crore.

Besides, the ECNEC also approved the time extension of a project without raising its cost.