PC may allocate funds to some new flood rehab projects

FE Team | Published: November 08, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

FE Report
The Planning Commission (PC) is likely to allocate funds to some new development projects under the post-flood rehabilitation programmes.
Sources in the PC said the commission will sit at a meeting on November 11 and might allocate funds to the rehabilitation projects on priority basis from sources like development budget, revenue budget or external assistance.
The PC has already selected projects as proposed by some ministries for implementation to recover from the losses caused by the flood during end-July to early-October period this year, the sources added.
A government committee, headed by the Member of the PC, Jafar Ahmed Chowdhury, selected the projects after evaluation of the proposals and recommend for the next course of action.
The sources in the Commission told the FE that the road transport infrastructure of the Roads and Highways Department (R&HD) under the communications ministry had been affected badly. The committee at its next meeting is going to consider the projects under the R&HD to restore the disrupted transportation system.
According to the government's preliminary assessment report, the floods damaged 3,705 kilometre (km) roads fully and 27,828km partially.
In the assessment report, the R&HD has sought Tk 6.9 billion for rehabilitating 2,344 km roads and 109 bridges and culverts, damaged by the floods.
An official in the PC said the commission had already allocated funds for the new projects under the Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED) for repairing and constructing its affected roads, bridges and culverts, but some other affected agencies/divisions/ ministries are yet to get the allocations.
Apart from fresh allocations for the post-flood rehabilitations projects, he said the government is also diverting funds to the priority projects for rehabilitation works from the less important projects in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) this fiscal year.
"If the commission at its next meeting fails to allocate funds to the post-flood rehabilitation projects from the government's own resources, it will provide money from the external resources (foreign aid). Besides, the commission will also ask the divisions or ministries concerned to look for funds from the donors for some development projects due to fund constraints." the official noted.
The officials said the government at a meeting with the local consultative group (LCG) early last month informed the donors about the requirement of necessary fund for post-flood rehabilitation works. The government sought a total of Tk 26.896 billion fund to recover from flood losses.