Dhaka: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday approved the ‘Inter-District Border Road Construction: Mymensingh and Netrakona Districts Part’ with an outlay of Tk 457.30 crore, aiming to boost connectivity and trade between Bangladesh and India.

The approval came from the 20th Ecnec meeting of the current fiscal year held at the NEC conference room with Ecnec Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said a total of eight projects were approved today involving Tk 2,865.04 crore.

‘Of the total project cost, Tk 1,536.43 crore will come from the national exchequer while Tk 1,328.61 crore as project assistance,’ the minister said.

Of the approved eight projects, five are new while three are revised ones.

About the ‘Inter District Border Road Construction: Mymensingh and Netrakona Districts Part’ project, the Planning Minister said that it would boost connectivity in the region and such roads would be constructed in phases in the bordering areas.

According to the Planning Commission, Roads and Highways Department under the Roads and Highways Division will implement this project in Durgapur and Kalmakanda upazilas of Netrakona and Haluaghat and Dhobaura upazilas of Mymensingh districts by June 2019 with funds from the state coffer.

Under the project, an 80-kilometer road will be constructed as part of the 214-km long Sunamganj-Netrakona-Mymensingh-Sherpur-Jamalpur road. In Netrakona part, the proposed border road stretched from Moheshkhola, connecting point of Sunamganj and Netrakona, and then ended at Tinali on Birishiri-Bijoypur land port road.

Since the proposed road went through bordering Kalmakanda upazila with a length of 36 kilometres, then it is very important for expanding trade between Bangladesh and India.  Another 44-kilometre road in Mymensingh part (Hatipagar-Bijoypur) is going to be used as a connecting road for the bordering districts.

The Planning Minister also said the per capita income in the country increased slightly to $1316 from $1314 due to minor rise in GDP growth to 6.55 percent in the last fiscal year (2014-15) from the provisional 6.51 percent. Since the major economic indicators are showing better signs in the current fiscal year, Mustafa Kamal hoped that this income would further rise in the current year.

The other projects approved at the meeting are Construction of 1490 metre-long PC Girder Bridge over the Teesta River on the connecting road of Pachpir Bazar-Chilmari and upazila headquarters under Sundarganj upazila in Gaibandha district (1st revised with Tk 730.85 crore), establishment of National Livestock and Poultry Management Institute and Disease Investigation Laboratory (2nd revised with Tk 42.80 crore), CHT complex construction project at Bailey Road in the capital with Tk 102.33 crore, digging Mobarakpur oil/gas exploration well with Tk 87.46 crore and Narsingdi BSCIC industrial estate expansion project with Tk 76.85 crore.

The Ecnec meeting also gave nod to the ‘Protection of Polder 56/57 from the River erosion of Meghna at Doulatkhan and Borhanuddin upazilas under Bhola district with Tk 551.50 crore in a bid to protect the Shahbazpur gas field, homes, roads, farm land and other public and private infrastructures.

The meeting also downsized the project cost of the ‘Water Management Development Project (3rd revised)’ by Tk 166.32 crore to Tk 815.95 crore since development partner the Netherlands have withdrawn their committed $ 17.35 million fund from the project.

Meeting sources said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the meeting directed the authorities concerned to ensure waste management before approving any industrial sector project.

Ministers, State Ministers, Planning Commission members and secretaries concerned were present at the meeting.