16 Projects Worth Tk65,517cr Set for ECNEC Approval

Sixteen development projects involving an estimated cost of Tk65,517.26 crore are scheduled to be placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for approval on Wednesday.

Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson Tarique Rahman is scheduled to preside over the meeting at the Cabinet Room of the Bangladesh Secretariat on September 16.

According to the Planning Ministry, the government will provide Tk25,278.12 crore from its own resources, while Tk40,166.67 crore will come through project loans and Tk72.47 crore will be financed by the implementing agencies themselves.

Of the 16 projects, 12 are new and four are revised.

The largest project on the agenda is the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line-5): Southern Route, which has an estimated cost of Tk45,503.77 crore.

The project will receive Tk15,197.66 crore in government funding and Tk30,306.10 crore in project loans from the Asian Development Bank and South Korea’s Economic Development Cooperation Fund. The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited will implement the project.

The proposed implementation period is from September 2026 to August 2033. The 17.2-kilometre route will connect Gabtoli in the west with Dasherkandi in the east, passing through areas including Technical, Kallyanpur, Shyamoli, Asad Gate, Karwan Bazar, Hatirjheel, Tejgaon and Aftabnagar.

Another major proposal concerns the first revision of the project to construct a new dual-gauge railway line between Bogura and Sirajganj, with an estimated cost of Tk4,667.42 crore. The original project cost was Tk5,579.70 crore.

A project to introduce electric traction on the Narayanganj-Dhaka-Joydebpur railway route has been proposed at a cost of Tk3,822.51 crore.

In the health sector, Tk4,039.06 crore has been proposed for the Integrated Health System Response to Fight Against Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria in Bangladesh project. Another project aimed at strengthening the health system and controlling non-communicable diseases has an estimated cost of Tk396.81 crore.

Two road-sector projects have been proposed at costs of Tk943.87 crore and Tk1,459.35 crore, respectively.

The agenda also includes a Tk1,153.60 crore project for the second phase of establishing Barishal Cantonment and a Tk374.15 crore project for infrastructure development in the Khulna naval area.

The proposed Financial Sector Support Project-2 has an estimated cost of Tk1,276.30 crore.

Two projects under the Ministry of Water Resources have been proposed at costs of Tk751.77 crore and Tk605.24 crore.

Three revised projects are also included in the agenda: a sewage-management project in Khulna, a power-distribution project in Monpura and a digital land-management project.

A new project aimed at improving working conditions and social protection for workers in the ready-made garment and leather sectors has an estimated cost of Tk89.25 crore.

The meeting will also be informed about 15 additional projects costing less than Tk50 crore each.

If approved, the proposed package would become the largest ECNEC project agenda since the BNP-led government took office following the 13th national parliamentary election. At an earlier ECNEC meeting on May 13, nine projects involving Tk36,695 crore were approved.