672 flats for govt staff to be built in N'ganj

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday approved six development projects involving Tk 1,219.26 crore, including one to construct some 672 residential flats for government officials and employees at Aliganj in Narayanganj.

The approval came from the 24th Ecnec meeting of the current fiscal year held at the NEC conference room in the capital's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar with Ecnec Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said a total of six projects were approved with an outlay of Tk 1,219.26 crore.

"Of the total project cost, Tk 894.92 crore will come from the national exchequer, Tk 84.19 crore from the organisation's own fund while Tk 240.15 crore from project assistance," he said.

Of the approved six projects, five are new while one is a revised project, the minister added.

He said some 191 development projects got approval with an estimated cost of Tk 1,67,188 crore in the last 23 Ecnec meetings of the current fiscal year.

The planning minister said Public Works Department, under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, will implement the flat construction project by June 2019.

Under the project, some eight 15-storey buildings would be built on 12.84 acres of land of PWD at Aliganj, which is barely five kilometres away from the capital's Jatrabari.

He said multi-storey buildings would also be built at upazila level for the government officials and employees.

The Ecnec meeting gave nod to another project titled "Embankment protection of Rajapur and East Ilisha union under Bhola Sadar upazila from the erosion of the river Meghna" with an outlay of Tk 279.42 crore.

Bangladesh Water Development Board under the Ministry of Water Resources will implement the project by June 2020.

Asked about the possible size of the Revised Annual Development Programme (RADP) for the current fiscal year, the planning minister said it would stand at that figure which the executing agencies would be able to implement by this June.

The other projects approved at the meeting are poverty alleviation initiative at northern region with Tk 324.34 crore, expansion of Rajshahi BSCIC industrial estate with Tk 128.81 crore, conducting interrelation affairs survey of ecosystem of haor and rivers, developing management framework of listed water bodies and permanent water bodies with Tk 54.41 crore and fisheries development in greater Jessore with Tk 34.12 crore.