WB project for rural roads to benefit 2.2cr people

A rural connectivity project financed by the World Bank will benefit 2.2 crore people, the multilateral lender said in a progress report yesterday.

The second Bangladesh Rural Transport Improvement Project, which received $302 million from the WB, will help improve the rural roads network, the WB said in a statement. The WB board approved the project in 2012 and it is scheduled to be completed by April 2018.

The World Bank said the project is likely to achieve all its targets, as it is now showing signs of improvement in implementation.

The project aims to improve and maintain about 5,250km of union and upazila roads and 50 growth centre markets in 26 districts.

The project has completed maintenance work for 1,629km of roads, while the contract has been signed for 2,769km, according to the statement.

The project helps rural communities with improved access to social and economic facilities and services such as schools, hospitals, markets, financial institutions and jobs.

The project also builds the capacity of government institutions to better manage rural transport infrastructure, the WB said.

The project aims at bringing a positive shift in the road maintenance approach. The rural waterways pilot will provide better connectivity to the poor and isolated rural communities having limited or no access to roads or waterways.

The WB also said institutional strengthening, capacity building and governance enhancement have also progressed well and most of the consultants are also on board.

The project's disbursements are getting back on track. So one fourth of the allocated fund of the project has been disbursed, according to the statement.