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Ecnec approves revisions to four projects

Costs rise 11 7pc due to slow implementation

Star Business Report
he Executive Committee of the lational Economic Council Ecnec) yesterday approved four [vised projects, while costs went p 117 percent due to slow imple-lentation and ministers' and iwmakers' demand for money to uild rural bridges and culverts.
The committee also gave a nod ) another World Bank-financed [vised project, which saw a cut in □st by around 45 percent as the overnment will return the money 3 the global lender as project nplementation is moving slowly.
The original allocation for small ridges and culverts on rural roads 'as Tk 695 crore, which has been icreased by 45 percent, to take the mounttoTk 1,085 crore.
Several demands were placed
from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), and the ministers and lawmakers to increase allocations for bridges and culverts, the planning ministry said.
The number of bridges and culverts in the revised project has increased by 1,368 to 4,883.
The dredging cost for Natun Dakatia, Puraton Dakatia and Chhoto Feni rivers has been increased by 94.69 percent to Tk 280.52 crore. After the project started in 2003, this is the fifth time it is being amended. The planning ministry said the latest amendment was made due to faulty design.
Allocation on a school feeding project in poverty-stricken areas has been increased by 100 percent; the figure now stands at Tk 3,145 crore.
An official of the planning min-
istry said 21 more upazilas have been added to the project, to take the number of upazilas to 93, which will increase the number of beneficiaries by another seven lakh.
The cost of upgrading Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport rose 36 percent to Tk 562 crore. A change in the design and a rise in construction material costs, equipment and labour wages pushed the project cost up.
The cost of the WB-funded Dhaka Water Supply and Sanitation project was cut by 45 percent toTk 644 crore.
A number of components have been dropped from the project to complete it on time, as there was a delay in appointing consultants and contractors.
However, a WB official said though the government has returned
the money, it would be invested in othergovernment projects.
In addition, Ecnec yesterday approved four new projects involving Tk 2,181 crore, one of which is to increase security at three international airports, including the airport in Dhaka.
Air traffic is increasing due to economic advancements in the country, AHM Mustafa Kamal, planning minister, told reporters.
To improve the air traffic system and enhance security at the airports, a Tk 293 crore project has been undertaken, Kamal said.
ADP implantation in the first five months of the fiscal year was 20 percent, amounting to Tk 15,904 crore, of the original allocation. The rate of implementation was the same in the same period of last fiscal year, he said.