DHAKA,  – The government today approved a total of four projects involving an overall estimated cost of Taka 1,659.34 crore including the 1st revision of the multi sector project to address Rohingya crisis on emergency basis with an additional cost of Taka 930 crore to ensure various facilities for the forcibly displaced Rohingyas and also for the host communities in Cox’s Bazar.

The approval came from a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) held today with ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The premier chaired the meeting virtually from her official Ganobhaban residence while the concerned Ministers, State Ministers and Secretaries joined the meeting from the NEC Conference Room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.

Of the approved four projects, one is new while three others are revised projects.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said, “Out of the total project cost of Taka 1,659.34 crore, Taka 740.14 crore will come from Bangladesh Government fund while the rest of Taka 919.20 crore will come as a grant.”

Planning Commission member Md Zakir Hossain Akand said the Local Government and Engineering Department (LGRD) and the Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE) will jointly implement the project by June 2024 at eight upazilas of Cox’s Bazar namely Ukhia, Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Ramu, Chakoria, Moheshkhali, Kutubdia and Pekua.

He said the main project objectives include mitigating the risk of losses from natural disasters, improving the system of rendering social services, improving safe water and health system, reducing the risk of losses from fire incidents, creating better facilities for education and thus resisting the forcibly displaced Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar from gender-based pressure and strengthening the various measures in this regard.

Zakir informed that although the World Bank and KfW Development Bank were not interested to provide the grant amount initially for this project, but later they were convinced and thus decided to provide an amount of Taka 919.20 crore as grant due to various environmental pollution, damage of sources of water, damage of crop lands and forests by the Rohingyas.

The main project operations include construction of 50 cyclone shelters, 222.97 kilometers of road development, 371 meters of bridge construction and 467.50 meters of culvert construction, construction of 34 multipurpose community centers, 42.15 kilometers of road widening and maintenance, construction of 90 community latrines, installment of 2,500 water options, installment of 14,800 toilets at homes alongside renovating existing toilets and setting up some 2,500 biofill toilets at homes in the project areas.

The Planning Minister said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the meeting noted that due to the influx of the Rohingyas from Myanmar, there has been a negative impact on the local communities or host communities in Cox’s Bazar which needs to be addressed properly.

The day’s ECNEC meeting also approved a fresh project titled ‘Creating employments and eradicating poverty through expanding the operations of BITAC’ by giving importance on technical training of women at a cost of Taka 123.17 crore.

Bangladesh Industrial and Technical Assistance Center (BITAC) under the Ministry of Industries will implement the project by June 2025 at five districts – Dhaka, Chandpur, Chattogram, Khulna and Bogura.

The main project operations include building a 10-storey male hostel at the BITAC Dhaka center, upward extension of the existing female hostel at the BITAC Dhaka center, imparting training to some 15,000 male and female in various trade.

Referring to the approval of the 1st revision of the development of physical infrastructures of Jatiya Kobi Kazi Nazrul Islam University with an additional cost of Taka 349.22 crore, the Planning Minister said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has noted that the universities should not run like markets or cities due to overcrowding of students.

Mannan said the premier put emphasis on functioning of universities as educational institutions as well as carrying out more researches. There is no fund crisis in this regard, he added.

The other project approved in the meeting is the 2nd revision of Rehabilitation of Polder No 62 (Patenga), Polder No 63/1A (Anwara), Polder No 63/1B (Anwara/Patia) at coastal areas in Chattogram with an additional cost of Taka 256.94 crore.