The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday approved the "Bangladesh Regional Domestic Shipping Transport Project-1" with an outlay of Tk 3,200 crore, aiming to ensure safe journeys of passengers and goods transportation through Chittagong-Dhaka-Ashuganj river route.
The approval came from the 11th Ecnec meeting of the current fiscal year held at the NEC conference room in the capital with Ecnec chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said 12 projects were approved involvingTk 9,663.99 crore. "Tk 4,255.38 crore will come from the national exchequer, Tk 533.08 crore from the organisation's own fund while Tk 4,875.53 crore as project assistance."
Of the approved projects, nine are new while three are revised ones.
The minister said Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority will implement the project (Chittagong-Dhaka Ashuganj and connected river ways dredging and installation of other
related establishments including terminal) by June 2024.
The government will provide Tk 320 crore while the World BankTk 2,880 crore as project assistance.
The other aims of the project are to maintain route navigability, installing security equipment to ensure smooth plying of vessels, and thus reduce the travel and transportation time by around 10 hours on Dhaka-Chittagong river route from the existing 40 hours, he said.
The project will be implemented in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Shariatpur, Narsingdi, Brahmanbaria, Kishoreganj, Chittagong, Chandpur, Laxmipur, Barisal and Bhola districts.
The operations under the project include conducting performance-based capital dredging and maintenance dredging to maintain navigability on Chittagong-Dhaka-Ashuganj domestic river route, constructing one new passenger terminal at Shashanghat in Dhaka, development of three passenger terminals at Narayanganj, Chandpur and Barisal, constructing one cargo terminal at Pangaon and another in Ashuganj.
The Ecnec meeting gave nod to another project, "grid-based power supply efficiency improvement", at an estimated cost of Tk 2,982.38 crore to be implemented by June 2021, with an aim to enhance the efficiency and reliability of power supply in 27 upazilas through improving the 230kv and 132kv power transmission system.
The other approved projects are upgradation of Jhenidah-Chuadanga-Meherpur-Mujibnagar road with Tk 286.75 crore (1st revised); construction of 19 river police stations and barracks with Tk 97 crore; construction of three PC girder bridges on Jamalpur-Madarganj highway with Tk 70.09 crore; establishment of wellhead compressor at the location of Titas Gas Field with Tk 910 crore; improvement of flood control and drainage system in Noakhali with Tk 324.99 crore; reexcavation of Kumar Nad with Tk 237.26 crore; modernisation of the existing police hospitals with Tk 292.07 crore; construction of BNA Bangabandhu Complex at Patenga(lst revised) with Tk 278.12 crore; and CMH, Dhaka extension and modernisation (2nd phase, 1st revised) withTk 115.62 crore.