Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presiding over a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council through videoconferencing from her official Ganobhaban residence in the city on Tuesday — Focus Bangla The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council(ECNEC) has endorsed revision of the Elenga-Hatikamrul-Rangpur four-lane highway project despite completion of only 11 per cent work in four years.
The government's highest economic policy-making body revised the Roads and Highways Department (RHD)'s project on Tuesday with 40 per cent higher costs and 40 more months to complete the widening work of the 190-km road.
The "SASEC Road Connectivity Project-II: Elenga-Hatikamrul-Rangpur road to a four-lane highway" was taken up in September 2016 at a cost of Tk 118.99 billion.
Presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the ECNEC approved the road upgrading works along with two others at a combined cost of Tk51.90 billion.
After the ECNEC meeting, Planning Secretary Asadul Islam told journalists that the meeting had revised two road development projects and approved a fresh traffic management scheme.
The state-owned road developer has got an additional Tk 47.63 billion, 40 per cent up of original estimated cost of Tk 118.99 billion, for completing the Elenga-Hatikamrul-Rangpur four-lane road project by December 2024, he added.
The RHD has finished only 11 per cent of the road widening works in last four years although the funds are available, insiders said.
The Manila-based lender--Asian Development Bank--is financing the project.
Out of the total Tk 166.62 billion revised costs, the ADB will provide Tk 116.26 billion as the project aid and the remaining fund of Tk50.36 billion by the government from its internal resources.
Besides, the ECNEC revised the Sonapur (Noakhali)-Sonagazi (Feni)-Jorarganj (Chittagong) road development project for the second time raising the cost by 70 per cent or Tk1.07 billion to Tk 2.93 billion as the RHD has failed to complete the project in time.
The 55-km road development work was scheduled to be completed in June 2018. Now the deadline has been extended to June 2021.
The ECNEC at its meeting also approved a fresh "Road safety with developing traffic management in the Dhaka North City Corporation area project" at a cost of Tk3.19 billion.
The project is scheduled to be completed by June 2023.
ECNEC members, Planning Commission members and secretaries concerned were present at the meeting.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
