Govt approves Tk 21 billion housing projects for injured protesters, families of victims

The government has given final approval to two separate projects involving Tk 21.06 billion to construct 2,364 residential flats for injured protesters who can no longer work and for the families of those killed during last year’s anti-discrimination student movement.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has also cleared two additional projects worth Tk 70.50 billion—one to continue essential operations of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the Drug Administration and the Community Clinic Health Support Trust through June next year; and another to implement the Reproductive Health and Population Services initiative through 2029.

The approvals were issued on Monday at an ECNEC meeting chaired by interim government Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus at the NEC Conference Centre in Dhaka. In total, 18 development projects, including revisions to five ongoing ones, were endorsed.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud said the 18 projects would require new investment of Tk 160.33 billion. Of this, Tk 101.01 billion will come from the government exchequer and Tk 3.79 billion from implementing agencies.

The remaining Tk 56.10 billion is expected to be mobilised from external lenders and development partners in the form of loans and grants.

The meeting also approved the third revision of the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Project (Line-6), which covers the metro rail from Uttara to Kamlapur. The project’s implementation period has been extended by three years to December 2028. The revised project cost now stands at Tk 327.18 billion—Tk 7.54 billion lower than the previous estimate of Tk 334.72 billion—after dropping components worth more than Tk 15 billion, including station plazas and land acquisition.

Ecnec further approved two projects under the Ministry of Agriculture: the Sustainable Agricultural Development Project in Chattogram and the second revision of the High-Quality Seed Potato Production, Preservation and Distribution Enhancement Project.

Under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, approvals were granted for drilling three exploration wells and establishing a 220-megawatt solar power plant in Sonagazi.

In addition to the two projects for injured protesters and families of those killed during last year’s student movement, the Ministry of Housing and Public Works received approval for two more: construction of a new 21-storey building at the Bangladesh Secretariat and a project to modernise fire safety systems at the Secretariat, the Transport Pool, Ministers’ Apartments and the Secretary’s Residence.

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