Tk 79.11b proposed for road transport, communication
FE Report | Friday, 5 June 2015
The proposed budget for fiscal year 2015-16 has kept an allocation of Tk 79.11 billion for road transport and communication sector giving much importance to road maintenance and repair work on existing roads.
Only one four-lane project to upgrade Joydevpur-Changra-Tangail-Elenga road has been incorporated.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith in his budget speech said no new road construction will be undertaken in the FY 2015-16 as road density of the country is almost the highest in the world.
"No new road will be built; rather our focus will be more on maintenance of existing ones in future," he told parliament.
However, the budget for the road sector under the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry has been decreased every year.
Though the minister told parliament that Dhaka-Chittagong and Joydevpur-Mymensingh Highway four-lane projects will be completed by the next fiscal. Total four-lane road networks of the country will be 456 kilometres.
Of the total 3,813 kilometres national highways, only four per cent road infrastructures are now four-lane which is likely to increase to eight per cent after the completion of Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Mymensingh four-lane projects.
The finance minister, however, said 10 district highway development projects have been undertaken in order to re-construct, rehabilitate, expand and upgrade highways.
But most of the 12-foot roads will be expanded to 18 feet to make those roads fit, Roads & Highway Department (RHD) sources added.
In the annual development programme, the RHD has been allocated Tk 52.35 billion proposing to provide the highest Tk 9.01 billion for the Dhaka-Chitagong four-lane project.
The RHD has a total of 88 ongoing projects of which Eastern Bangladesh Bridge Improvement Project, Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel bridges on the Barisal-Patuakhali-Kuakata Highway, Cox's Bazar-Teknaf-Marine Drive (Inani to Sillkhali) -2nd Phase. Jatrabari-Kanchpur Highway eight lanes and 7th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge on the Arial Khan river are to be completed in the next fiscal year.
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