Govt to spend Tk 4,371cr on navigability and reclamation of 4 rivers
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday approved 15 projects involving Tk 13,218.31 crore, including the Tk 4,371 crore 'Navigability development and reclamation of Old Brahmaputra, Dharla, Tulai and Punorbhoba Rivers' project.
Of the total project cost, Tk 8,479.22 crore will come from the government.
The approval came from the 8th Ecnec meeting of the current fiscal year held at the NEC conference room with Ecnec Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
State Minister for Finance and Planning MA Mannan briefed reporters after the meeting.
He said the 'Navigability development and reclamation of Old Brahmaputra, Dharla, Tulai and Punorbhoba Rivers' project aims to ensure smooth and safe plying of vessels on the rivers.
Mannan said Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), under the Ministry of Shipping, will implement the project by June 2024.
The project areas cover Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha and Dinajpur districts of Rangpur division; Kishoreganj of Dhaka division; and Jamalpur, Sherpur and Mymensingh districts of Mymensingh division.
Under the project, around 227 kilometres of the Old Brahmaputra river would be dredged up to 100 metres of width and three metres of depth to upgrade it to a class-2 navigational route to ensure transportation of passengers and goods with ease and at a lower cost.
Besides, around 60 metres of the Dharla River will be dredged into 38 meters of width and two metres of depth to transform it to class-3 navigational route.
The Punorbhoba River will be turned into a class-3 navigational route while the Tulai River into a class-4 navigational one through conducting necessary dredging.
Of the approved 15 projects, 10 are new while 5 are revised ones.
The development of Cox's Bazar Airport, 1st phase, 3rd revision will cost Tk 2,015.65 crore.
The Ecnec meeting also approved the 2nd revision of the Reaching out of School Children (ROSC) Project, 2nd phase, with Tk 1,290.36 crore. Under the project, forcibly displaced Rohingya children will be provided non-formal education in their own language or in English. For this, the project period has been extended up to December 2020.
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