Ecnec okays Padma Bridge, national ID card projects

The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday approved 11 projects involving Tk 13,150 crore.
The projects include construction of the long awaited Padma multipurpose bridge, preparation of electoral roll with photographs and issuance of national identity cards.
The approval was given at a meeting with Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed in the chair.
Donors will provide Tk 8,267 crore as loans and grants for seven projects (total cost Tk 12,758 crore) while the government will fund the rest four projects.
Meeting sources said the Ecnec approved Tk 10,162 crore for the Padma bridge project. Of Donors will provide Tk 6,881 crore for the project as loans and grants.
Of the donors' loans, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will give $350 million, World Bank $300 million and JBIC $300 million. The DFID and Netherlands government will provide $140 million and $80 million as grants.
Sources said the 5.58 km bridge will be built at Mawa-Jajira site and it will have road, rail, telecommunication and power lines on it.
Drafting of the structural plan of the country's longest bridge will start between January and February next year. Construction will start in 2009 and is likely to be completed by 2014.
Under the bridge project, Tk 538 crore has been allocated for acquisition of land and rehabilitation programme, and work on these has already begun.
For voter list with photographs, donors will give Tk 345 crore as loans while the total expenditure will be Tk 547 crore. Sources said preparation of voter list and providing them identity cards would end by October next year.
The next general election is due to be held by the end of next year.
"On behalf of the Chief Adviser, I am confirming the matter again that the next parliamentary election will be held within the time frame as described in the roadmap," Mirza Aziz said.
He said the project would continue yet after the election, as under it the government will prepare digital data bank of voters and ways to update it regularly.
The Ecnec-approved projects include second phase of circular waterways around Dhaka city, and Tk 48 crore will be spent on it. Sources said under the second phase, three major canals in the capital will be recovered from encroachers and connected with the circular waterways.
The other projects are small-scale water resources development project involving a total expenditure of Tk 454 crore with project aid Tk 320 crore
The ADB-funded emergency rehabilitation project (revised) for the 2004 flood-damaged rural infrastructure -- total expenditure Tk 553 crore, project aid Tk 388 crore,
Balipara bridge construction project at Tishal-Nandail-Tarail over the Brahmaputra river-- expenditure Tk 39 crore Renovation project for Bangladesh Railway's Lalmonirhat-Burimari section -- expenditure 150 crore Renovation project for Bangladesh railway's Rajshahi-Rohanpur border and Amnura-Chapainababganj sections, total expenditure tk 155 crore Pilot Scheme (2nd revised) for prepaid metering -- total expenditure Tk 40 crore, project aid Tk 30 crore Renovation and modernisation of units 3,4 and 5 of Ashuganj Power Station Complex project (2nd revised) with a total expenditure of Tk 940 crore, project aid 271crore.
Iodised salt making project to meet iodin deficiency 2nd phase (revised) -- total expenditure Tk 62 crore, project aid Tk 32 crore.