The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved 17 development projects with an outlay of Tk 142 billion.

The approval came at a meeting of ECNEC held at NEC conference room in capital’s Sher-e-Banglanagar on Thursday (Oct 11) with ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, reports BSS.

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, briefing newsmen on the outcome of the meeting, said the ECNEC approved 17 development projects although a total of 19 projects were placed before it.

 “The government would provide Tk 111.93 billion from the national exchequer while organizations concerned would contribute Tk 28.11 billion and Tk 1.96 billion would come as foreign assistance for the projects,” he said.

Of the 17 projects, 14 projects are new and the remaining three are revised ones, added the planning minister.

The ECENC, however, rejected the Banani-Gulshan-Baridhara Lake Development project for the involvement of relocation of some 12,000 people from the project area, he said.

The Prime Minister has directed the authority concerned to take necessary measures to relocate those people first before approval of the project, he added.

Besides, the ECNEC meeting sent back another project titled “Mollarhat 100-Megawatt Solar PV Power Plant” to recast it.

Among the approved projects, the big ones are Rajshahi WASA Surface Water Treatment Plant Project with Tk 40.62 billion; Development of Electricity Supply System, Chattogram Zone (2nd Phase) with Tk 25.51 billion; and Land Acquisition for Upgrading Faridpur-Bhanga-Baishal-Patuakhali-Kuakata National Highway into Four-lane with Tk 18.67 billion.

Among the other approved projects are Improvement of Road Network at Wards and Construction of Bus/Truck Terminals in Chattogram City Corporation with Tk 12.29 billion; Construction of Houses for Cleaning Workers of Dhaka City Corporation (1st revised) with Tk 2.54 billion; Upgrading and Widening Bairagipul (Barishal)-Tumchar-Bauphal (Patuakhali) District Highway with Tk 3.02 billion; Upgrading and Widening Nandigram (Omarpur)-Talora-Dupchachira-Zianagar-Akkelpur (Gopinathpur) District Highway and Nandigram (Kathom)-Kaliganj-Raninagar District Highway For Expanding Trade and Business with Tk 1.79 billion; Construction of Multi-storey Office Building on the Premises of the Foreign Ministry with Tk 635.6 million; Rural Infrastructures Development in Jashore Region with Tk 9.52 billon; Rural Infrastructures Development of Khulna with Tk 9.37 billon; and Bagerhat and Satkhira Districts; Extension, Repair and Modernisation of Bangabandhu Poverty Alleviation Training Complex at Kotalipara in Gopalganj (3rd revised) with Tk 3,44 billon.