ECNEC Approves 13 Projects, Defers Decisions on Four

An ECNEC meeting was held at the Secretariat, presided over by Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson Tareq Rahman.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved 13 development projects and deferred decisions on four others for further scrutiny.

The deferred projects include the establishment of Netrokona University and a project to improve major roads, drains and footpaths under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).

The decisions were taken at an ECNEC meeting held in the Cabinet Division conference room at the Secretariat in Dhaka on Wednesday (November 4). Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson Tarique Rahman presided over the meeting, according to officials who attended it.

The other two projects sent for further review are the “Prosperity-Local Economic Development (LED) in Selected Municipalities” project and “Metro Dhaka: Water Supply and Sanitation”. Officials were instructed to examine the proposals further before a final decision is made.

The ECNEC meeting had initially been scheduled for October 25 but was postponed because of the prime minister’s visit to Japan.

Approved Projects

Among the approved projects is the purchase of specialised and operational vehicles to strengthen the capacity of Bangladesh Police.

The committee also approved a project to drill two appraisal and development gas wells, named Titas-32 and Titas-33, at the Titas Gas Field.

Other approved initiatives include the Innovation Climate Smart Urban Development project; safe water supply and sanitation in the Barind region; the establishment of nuclear medicine centres at five medical colleges; and the first phase of a project to protect, restore and re-excavate canals in Barishal City Corporation.

The approved projects also include the construction of B-type officers’ accommodation in the Mainul Road residential area of Dhaka Cantonment, a multi-storey residential building for government employees at Gabtala Colony in Jigatola, and the construction of bridges or culverts up to 15 metres long on rural roads.

Projects Noted at the Meeting

Several projects costing less than Tk 50 crore had already been approved by Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury. In line with the established procedure, these projects were presented to ECNEC for information.

They include the modernisation of cardiac care services at Dinajpur Zia Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute; an initiative to promote safe internet use among children, adolescents and secondary-level students; improvements to traffic infrastructure and road safety in Dhaka North City Corporation; and the expansion and modernisation of Dhaka Central Drug Addiction Treatment Centre.