128 bridges to be built to boost rural economy

The government is set to build 128 bridges in rural areas to create more jobs through non-farm economic activities.

For building the bridges, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council yesterday approved Tk 3,927 crore.

The bridges will cover a total of 26,440 metres across 94 upazilas; the project is expected to be complete by 2021.

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and the majority of its population live in rural areas, said the planning ministry in its proposal.

“The overall development of the country depends on the development of rural areas.”

Once the project is complete, the scope for short- and long-term employment will be created in the non-farm sector.

Non-farm economic units have mushroomed in recent times, according to a survey of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

In the last few years, $14 billion to $15 billion of remittance flew in every year and the lion's share went to rural areas, said a planning ministry official.

A big portion of the remittance is being used in non-farm activities.

If the communication system in rural areas had been good, non-farm activities would have been more vibrant, he said.

Of the 128 bridges, 92 will be more than 100 metres long each; the remaining 32 will be less than 100 metres long, according to the planning ministry.

The government has started building small-scale bridges and culverts alongside big bridges to strengthen non-farm activities. A total of 288,536 metres of bridges and culverts have been constructed against the demand for 465,413 as of December 2016. Another 186,877 metres will be built soon.

Ecnec also approved another project yesterday worth Tk 706 crore from the government's own fund for increasing the navigability of the Mongla-Ghosiakhali channel.

Under the project, 309 kilometres of river and canal will be re-excavated and 17km dams and two bailey bridges will be set up. A major aim of the project is to keep the Bangladesh-India river protocol route operative by preventing build-up of high levels of silt in the channel, said the proposal.

Ecnec yesterday approved a total of nine new and revised projects involving a cost of Tk 8,874 crore.

Ecnec held 16 meetings in the first six months of the fiscal year and gave the green light to 131 projects involving Tk 263,883 crore, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told reporters.