ECNEC approves 8 projects with Tk 4,826.21cr, The 22 coastal towns, or pourasabhas, in Bangladesh will benefit from the Taka 2,580 crore Coastal Towns Climate Resilience Project (CTCRP), which was approved today by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC). The decision was made at an ECNEC meeting today, which was presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and held in the NEC Conference Room in the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar neighborhood of the city.
ECNEC approves 8 projects with Tk 4,826.21cr
Planning Minister MA Mannan told reporters following the meeting that a total of eight proj’ects with a combined estimated cost of Taka 4,826.21 crore were approved today. “Of the entire proj’ect cost, Taka 2,341.02 crore will be covered by the Bangladeshi government share, Taka 278.19 crore by the relevant organization’s own money, and Taka 2,207 crore will be provided as proj’ect support.” At the briefing were State Minister for Planning Dr. Shamsul Alam, members of the Planning Commission, and relevant secretaries. By June 2029, the proj’ect will be put into action by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) of the Local Government Division.
This proj’ect will improve climate and disaster resilience in 22 coastal towns by enhancing municipal infrastructure and services that are critical for resilience building, strengthening adaptive capacities and raising awareness. The proj’ect will also develop infrastructure for building climate resilience in coastal towns including infrastructure to improve urban flood risk management such as storm water drainage, nature-based solutions, water body restoration and integrated waste management. Besides, cyclone shelters with early warning systems will be established, taking into account the needs of the elderly, women, children, and persons with disabilities. Bridges, culverts and roads with storm water drainage will be constructed and rehabilitated.
Officials said comprehensive set of interventions in six project towns will be implemented to help vulnerable households, especially poor women, cope with climate shocks and develop livelihood resilience. These include climate risk assessment for diversifying livelihoods, household skills and resources mapping, enterprise and employment matching and provision of livelihood training. The project will strengthen the knowledge and capacity of the Local Government Engineering Department and the project towns in managing climate and disaster resilience.
They will be trained on nature-based and green solutions, gender equality and social inclusion-responsive climate and disaster risk sensitive master planning, and information technology-based remote monitoring to inform risk- based urban development plans and develop mitigation measures. The project will also enhance public awareness to prepare for future emergencies and crises.
The day’s meeting approved a project for building a bridge over the River Rabnabad on the 70th kilometer of the Lebukhali-Baufal-Golachipa-Amragachia district highway with Taka 521.26 crore, the Planning Minister said. The Premier asked the authorities concerned to name the Bridge as per the River Rabnabad instead of the proposed Golachipa Bridge.
Planning Commission member Satyajit Karmaker said under the Transport Master Plan and Preliminary Feasibility Study for Urban Metro Rail Transit Construction of Chattogram Metropolitan Area (CMA) project with Taka 70.63 crore, a pre feasibility study would be conducted for introducing metro rail in the port city.
After the pre-feasibility study, then a feasibility study would be conducted while an integrated and comprehensive plan would be framed for the transport sector of Chattogram, he informed. Answering to a question, Planning Division Secretary Mamun-Al Rashid said that efforts are on involving all the ministries and divisions to form a specific guideline for conducting feasibility studies so that they could decide which firms would be able to conduct feasibility studies. He told another questioner that a good number of projects in the agriculture sector are under process at the Planning Commission while those have been included in the Annual Development Programme (ADP).
Replying to another question, Mamun said efforts are on how to minimize the trend of revising projects time and again saying that a move is already underway to review the performances of those project directors under whom development schemes witness the most revisions.