The government on Tuesday endorsed four development projects at a combined cost of Tk 16.59 billion, officials said.
Presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved those projects at its meeting in Dhaka.
After the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan told reporters that the ECNEC approved a new project while revised three ongoing ones.
He said, "Out of total costs, Tk 7.40 billion will come from government's internal resources while the rest of Tk 9.19 billion from external resources as grant."
The ECNEC revised the multisector project (1st revision) to address Rohingya crisis on an emergency basis increasing the cost by Tk 9.30 billion to Tk19.88 billion to ensure facilities for forcibly-displaced Rohingyas and also for the host communities in Cox's Bazar.
Planning Commission member Md Zakir Hossain Akand said Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE) will jointly implement the project by June, 2024 in eight upazilas of Cox's Bazar such as Ukhia, Teknaf, Cox's Bazar Sadar, Ramu, Chakoria, Moheshkhali, Kutubdia and Pekua.
He said the main objectives of the projects are to mitigate the risk of losses caused by natural disasters, improve social services, safe drinking water and health care system, reduce the risk of losses from fire incidents, create better facilities for education and thus resist forcibly-displaced Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar from gender-based pressure and strengthening various measures in this regard.
Under the project, LGED will construct 50 cyclone shelters, 222.97 kilometres road, 371 metres bridge and 467.50 metres culvert, 34 multipurpose community centres, widen and maintain 42.15 kilometres road, construct 90 community latrines, install 2,500 water options, 14,800 toilets at homes alongside renovate existing toilets and set up some 2,500 biofil toilets at homes in the project areas.
The ECNEC approved a fresh project titled 'Creating employments and eradicating poverty through expanding the operations of BITAC' by attaching importance to technical training for women at a cost of Tk 1.23 billion.
The main project operations include building a 10-storey male hostel at BITAC Dhaka centre, upward extension of the existing female hostel at BITAC Dhaka centre, imparting training to some 15,000 male and female in various trades.
The ECNEC also revised development of physical infrastructures of Jatiya Kobi Kazi Nazrul Islam University increasing the cost by Tk 3.49 billion to Tk 8.40 billion, and rehabilitation of Polder No 62 (Patenga), Polder No 63/1A (Anwara), Polder No 63/1B (Anwara/Patia) in coastal areas of Chattogram increasing the cost by Tk 2.57 billion to Tk5.77 billion.
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