Ecnec okays nine projects worth Tk 37.56b

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Wednesday approved a total of nine projects, including three new initiatives and six revised ones, with an estimated cost of Tk 37.56 billion.

Of the total project cost, the government will provide Tk 27.98 billion, while the implementing agencies will contribute Tk 1.45 billion from their own funds. The remaining Tk 8.13 billion will be sourced from foreign loans and grants.

Planning Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud shared the details at a press briefing held at the NEC auditorium in the capital following the Ecnec meeting chaired by Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus.

The planning adviser said that the meeting approved a project titled "Prevention of Violence and Harmful Practices against Children and Women in Bangladesh", involving Tk 1.70 billion, with a grant worth Tk 1.3 billion from the UNICEF.

The project, which will be implemented by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, is scheduled for completion by March 2029. It will focus on training programmes aimed at enhancing the safety of women and children.

However, as the project currently lacks clearly defined activities, the Ecnec meeting recommended setting specific indicators to measure the outcomes and effectiveness of such initiatives, he added.

The documents placed at the meeting reveal that the six revised projects approved in the Ecnec have faced a total of cost overruns worth over Tk 45.95 billion, due to delays following several complexities.

The revised estimated costs of these projects reached Tk 95.7 billion, 92.38 per cent higher than the initial cost.

The meeting approved a revised proposal for the "WECARE Phase 1: Jhenaidah-Jashore Highway Development Project", increasing its cost to Tk 66.27 billion. Originally approved in January 2021 with an estimated cost of Tk 41.88 billion, the project was scheduled for completion by December 2023.

However, delays have pushed up the cost by Tk 24.39 billion-an increase of 58.24 per cent from the original estimate

The meeting also approved the second revision of the Disaster Risk Management Enhancement Project (Components 2 & 3), raising the estimated cost to Tk 5.01 billion and extending the project deadline to June 2026. Originally launched in 2017, the project was initially scheduled for completion by June 2021.

The meeting approved the third revision of the Development of Seven Divisional Offices of the Public Service Commission (PSC) project, extending its implementation period until June 2027. The project was initially approved in July 2018, with a targeted completion date of June 2022.

The planning adviser said that the meeting decided to drop the proposed Establishment of Rabindra University Project, which had an estimated cost of Tk 5.19 billion, and sent it back for further revision.

He said the university has been operating out of a women's college campus for the past seven years.

While the project aimed to facilitate the development of a dedicated campus, the proposal was returned with instructions to reformulate it in a manner that would help build the university in the spirit of India's Visva-Bharati University, he added.

The meeting also approved the first revision of the project titled "Construction of Inland Container and Bulk Terminal at Khanpur in Narayanganj", raising its cost to Tk 6.16 billion - an increase of over 57 per cent from the original estimate of Tk 3.92 billion.

The meeting also approved the first revision of the "Lake Development in the Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara Areas" project, raising its cost to Tk 5.55 billion from the original Tk 4.10 billion.

Initially launched in July 2010 with a targeted completion date of July 2013, the project was originally designed to be completed in just three years. However, with the latest extension, it will now take 16.5 years to complete, with the new deadline set for December next year.

Additionally, the meeting approved a new project titled "Bangladesh Sustainable Recovery, Emergency Preparedness and Response Project (B-STRONG) - DDM Part", involving Tk 2.44 billion.

The World Bank will finance Tk 2.38 billion of the total as a loan. The project aims to enhance emergency disaster preparedness in 37 flood-prone districts, including the provision of 10 rescue boats for each district.

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