Cabinet endorsesDEE project act

FE Team | Published: April 12, 2011 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

The cabinet on Monday endorsed the Dhaka Elevated Expressway (DEE) Project (Land Acquisition) Act 2011 to ease the acquisition of land for the 26-kilometre expressway from Uttara to Kutubkhali in the capital, report agencies. Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the government will take the necessary steps so that none in the project areas suffers. She said the government will compensate the affected people with plots or flats. The DEE has been planned to improve road connectivity between the northern parts of Dhaka city with the central, the south and the south eastern parts, linking important commercial and business centres of the capital. The first phase of the elevated expressway will stretch over 22 kilometres (KM) with by-lanes connecting Manik Mia Avenue, Mohakhali, Motijheel and Palashi. It will eventually connect Joydevpur with Narayanganj. The cabinet earlier approved the route alignment of the $2.0 billion project, now being implemented under a public-private partnership, to ease nagging traffic congestions in the capital. The project is expected to be completed by December, 2013. The Prime Minister also ordered officials to fast-track settlement of money-laundering cases pending at courts. She also told them to put a greater emphasis on discussion with Indian authorities to stop border killings, a minister who attended the cabinet meeting on Monday told reporters. The meeting, held at the Cabinet Division of the Secretariat with Hasina in the chair, was attended by cabinet members, state ministers and the advisors to the prime minister. The cabinet also approved the proposal of ratifying the UN Convention on Protecting the Rights of Migrant Workers and their Family Members. After the meeting, Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Abul Kalam Azad briefed reporters at the PID conference room. He said that the United Nations (UN) adopted the convention in 1990 to protect rights of migrant workers and their family members and Bangladesh signed the convention in 1998. The Press Secretary said every year Bangladesh is sending about 400,000 workers abroad and at present 7.0 million Bangladeshis are working in different countries. They are contributing a lot to strengthening country's economy. Taking their contribution in consideration, the cabinet ratified the convention. Besides, a report on the participation of the Bangladeshi delegation led by Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni in the 33rd SAARC Council of Ministers was placed before the cabinet.