Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday asked the authorities concerned not to go for mega projects and instead take up small ones focusing on rural development and public welfare. She made the directives while chairing the meeting of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) at the NEC conference room in the city’s Sher-e Bangla Nagar area. “The Prime Minister said the luxury projects can’t be taken up. But small rural projects or welfare oriented projects cannot be compromised. Mega projects can’t be undertaken,” said Planning Minister MA Mannan while briefing reporters after the meeting.
Hasina, also the ECNEC chairperson, stressed the need for a thorough feasibility study in case of undertaking any big project. She also asked the authorities concerned to find out uncultivated lands everywhere across the country to grow food and other crops. “The Prime Minister said production will have to be raised. Not a single inch of land can be kept uncultivated,” said Mannan adding that she directed the cabinet secretary to identify the uncultivated lands with the help of deputy commissioners.
The PM asked everyone to be frugal and stop wastages amid the global recession. The ECNEC meeting cleared seven projects with a total estimated cost of Tk 3,981.90 crore (only additional costs of three revised projects were counted here). Of the cost, Tk 3,392.33 crore will be drawn from the government’s fund, while Tk 267.35 crore from the own funds of the organisations concerned and Tk 332.21 crore will come from the foreign sources.
Among the fresh four projects, the “Construction of Jetty with ancillary infrastructures at Mirsrai and Sandwip in Chattogram, Sonadia Island in Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf (Sabrang and Jaliar Islands)” one will be implemented at the cost of Tk 1913.70 crore by June 2024. The project titled “Improvement of Service Passages including Damaged Road Infrastructures in Zone-2 and Zone-4 of Dhaka North City Corporation will be executed at the cost of Tk 963.30 crore by June 2025.
The two other new projects are “Electrical-Mechanical and Security Development Works of Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban Area” with the estimated cost of Tk 92.17 crore and “Sustainable Agricultural Development in Dinajpur Region” with Tk 65.32 crore. Besides, the meeting approved the first revision of “Expansion and Strengthening of Electricity Transmission System in Chattogram Region,” raising its cost by Tk 502.41 crore (now cost stands at Tk 1861.29 crore) and extending its deadline till June 2025 instead of June 2022.
In the meeting, the first revisions of two other projects were cleared. The projects are “Bariyarhat-Heyako-Ramgarh Road Widening” with additional cost of Tk 261.59 crore (now its cost stands at Tk 1107.12 crore) and extension of deadline till December 2024, and “Nabinagar-Ashuganj Road Development (Z-2031)” with extra cost of Tk 183.41 crore (now cost is Tk 604.86 crore) and extension of the deadline till June 2023.
