DHAKA, Nov 22, 2022 (BSS) - The Executive Committee of the National Economic 
Council (ECNEC) today approved a Taka 2,580 crore Coastal Towns Climate 
Resilience Project (CTCRP) to strengthen climate and disaster resilience in 
22 coastal towns or pourasabhas in Bangladesh.

The approval came from a meeting of the ECNEC held today with its chairperson 
and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at the NEC Conference Room in 
the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said a 
total of eight projects were approved today involving an overall estimated 
cost of Taka 4,826.21 crore. "Of the total project cost, Taka 2,341.02 crore 
will come from the government of Bangladesh portion, Taka 278.19 crore from 
the concerned organisation's own fund while the rest of Taka 2,207 crore as 
project assistance."

State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam, Planning Commission members and 
secretaries concerned were present at the briefing.

The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) under the Local Government 
Division will implement the project by June 2029.

This project will improve climate and disaster resilience in 22 coastal towns 
by enhancing municipal infrastructure and services that are critical for 
resilience building, strengthening adaptive capacities and raising awareness.

The project will also develop infrastructure for building climate resilience 
in coastal towns including infrastructure to improve urban flood risk 
management such as storm water drainage, nature-based solutions, water body 
restoration and integrated waste management. 

Besides, cyclone shelters with early warning systems will be established, 
taking into account the needs of the elderly, women, children, and persons 
with disabilities. Bridges, culverts and roads with storm water drainage will 
be constructed and rehabilitated.

Officials said comprehensive set of interventions in six project towns will 
be implemented to help vulnerable households, especially poor women, cope 
with climate shocks and develop livelihood resilience. These include climate 
risk assessment for diversifying livelihoods, household skills and resources 
mapping, enterprise and employment matching and provision of livelihood 
training.

The project will strengthen the knowledge and capacity of the Local 
Government Engineering Department and the project towns in managing climate 
and disaster resilience. 

They will be trained on nature-based and green solutions, gender equality and 
social inclusion-responsive climate and disaster risk sensitive master 
planning, and information technology-based remote monitoring to inform risk-
based urban development plans and develop mitigation measures. The project 
will also enhance public awareness to prepare for future emergencies and 
crises. 
 
The day's meeting approved a project for building a bridge over the River 
Rabnabad on the 70th kilometer of the Lebukhali-Baufal-Golachipa-Amragachia 
district highway with Taka 521.26 crore, the Planning Minister said. 

The Premier asked the authorities concerned to name the Bridge as per the 
River Rabnabad instead of the proposed Golachipa Bridge.

Planning Commission member Satyajit Karmaker said under the Transport Master 
Plan and Preliminary Feasibility Study for Urban Metro Rail Transit 
Construction of Chattogram Metropolitan Area (CMA) project with Taka 70.63 
crore, a pre feasibility study would be conducted for introducing metro rail 
in the port city. 

After the pre-feasibility study, then a feasibility study would be conducted 
while an integrated and comprehensive plan would be framed for the transport 
sector of Chattogram, he informed.

Answering to a question, Planning Division Secretary Mamun-Al Rashid said 
that efforts are on involving all the ministries and divisions to form a 
specific guideline for conducting feasibility studies so that they could 
decide which firms would be able to conduct feasibility studies.

He told another questioner that a good number of projects in the agriculture 
sector are under process at the Planning Commission while those have been 
included in the Annual Development Programme (ADP).

Replying to another question, Mamun said efforts are on how to minimize the 
trend of revising projects time and again saying that a move is already 
underway to review the performances of those project directors under whom 
development schemes witness the most revisions.

The other projects approved in the meeting are Upgrading four district 
highways into due standard and width under Cumilla Road Division with Taka 
1,023.52 crore, Installation of third submarine cable for expanding 
international telecommunication system in Bangladesh, first revised with an 
additional cost of Taka 362.07 crore, time extension of modernization of jail 
security in Dhaka, Mymensingh and Chattogram Divisions, first revised with an 
additional cost of Taka 17.98 crore, National information and communication 
technology development (Info Sarker, third phase) project, third revised with 
an additional cost of Taka 101.94 crore and strengthening nutrition and food 
security through agricultural development with Taka 148.81 crore.