13 projects approved including purchase of 30 railway engines

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved 13 projects including the purchase of 30 meter gauge engines for Bangladesh Railway. The total cost of implementing the projects will be Tk 16,207 crore 55 lakh.

Of the total cost, Tk 10,600 crore 80 lakh will come from government funds, Tk 4,081 crore 85 lakh from project loans and Tk 1,524 crore 91 lakh from the organizations’ own funds.

Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson Tarique Rahman chaired the ECNEC meeting held at the Cabinet Room of the Secretariat in the capital on Wednesday.

According to officials, 10 of the 13 approved projects are new, two are revised projects and one is a project for extending the implementation period.

The projects approved by ECNEC include the development of road infrastructure and drainage systems in 18 wards across five new regions under Dhaka South City Corporation, development of various important infrastructure in Rangpur City Corporation, rehabilitation of damaged roads and construction of roads, drains and footpaths in zones 1 to 8 of Gazipur City Corporation.

Other projects include women’s skills development and entrepreneurship creation through cooperatives, rural infrastructure development in Sirajganj, Bogura and Naogaon districts and the second phase of the Important Urban Infrastructure Development Project.

Among the other approved projects are the procurement of 35 commercial and eight auxiliary vessels and construction of two new slipways for Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC). The projects also include procurement of 30 meter gauge diesel electric locomotives under the Capacity Expansion of Bangladesh Railway Project.

The meeting also approved the renovation and modernization of the chancery building purchased in Paris, France, to make it suitable for use, construction of the Second Karatoya Bridge along a 15 kilometer section of the Bhajanpur (Nijbari) to Panchagarh (Z 5060) road via Atorkhari, Maynaguri, Amtali and Mirgarh and the second revision of the Thanchi Rimakri Road Construction Project.

The construction of a 442 megawatt peak solar power plant in Rampal was also approved.

Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Local Government, Rural Development Minister Dr Abdul Moin Khan, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, Women and Social Welfare Minister Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain, Land Minister Md Mizanur Rahman Minu, Industries, Textiles and Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir and other ECNEC members were present at the meeting.