ECNEC okays Tk 6,140.19cr for upgrading Bhanga-Benapole Highway 4-lane project

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) today approved a Taka 6,140.19 crore project for ensuring necessary land acquisition and utility transfer for upgrading the Bhanga-Jashore-Benapole Highway into four-lane.

The approval came from the last meeting of the ECNEC in the current tenure of the government held with its Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, reports BSS.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said that the day's meeting approved a total of 44 projects involving an overall estimated cost of Taka 39,094.33 crore.

"Of the total project cost, Tk 29,953.44 crore will come from the government of Bangladesh portion, Tk 7,579.73 crore from project assistance while the rest of Tk 1,561.16 crore from concerned organisation’s own fund," he said.

The planning minister said that the Roads and Highways Department under the Road Transport and Highways Division will implement the upgradation of four-lane project with entire government fund by June 2026.

The main objective of the project is to ensure necessary land acquisition on both sides of the highway and utility transfer to upgrade the Bhanga-Jashore-Benapole Highway into four-lane.

The main project operations include some 969.36 acres of land acquisition, compensation for infrastructures and trees and utility transfer.

The other projects approved in the meeting are: Construction of Multi-Storey office building at administrative area in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka with Tk 171.73 crore, Construction of 123 flats for government officials and employees at Tejgaon Industrial Area in Dhaka with Tk 144.33 crore, Canal reexcavation, expansion, reform and development for addressing the water logging at Chattogram Metropolitan, 1st revised, with an additional cost of Tk 3,010.12 crore, Upgrading the connecting road of Lakshmipur, Noakhali and Feni districts with the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar into due standard and width with Tk 1,404.46 crore, Upgrading Illiotganj-Muradnagar-Ramchandrapur-Bancharampur district highway into due standard and width with Taka 348.26 crore, Constructing connecting road from RAJUK Purbachal 300 Feet to Madani Avenue Sylhet Highway, 2nd revised with an additional cost of Tk 199.91 crore, Upgrading Satkhira-Shokhipur-Kaliganj Highway and Kaliganj-Shyamnagar-Bhetkhali Highway into due standard and width with Tk 822.44 crore, Performance based operations and strengthening for four years the Dhaka-Chattogram National Highway (Daudkandi-Chattogram) portion, 1st revised with an additional cost of Tk 187.11 crore, Constructing multipurpose residential building for the cleaners of Dhaka North City Corporation at Gabtoli City Palli, 3rd revised with an additional cost of Tk 35.25 crore, Dhaka Water Supply Network Development, 2nd revised with an additional cost of Tk 200 crore, Extended Dhaka Water Supply Resilience Project with Taka 4040 crore, Dhaka Sanitation Improvement, 1st revised with an additional cost of Tk 1,332.29 crore, Various roads development, addressing of water logging and waste management development at Barishal City Corporation area with Tk 797.07 crore, Bangladesh e-passport and automated border control management formulation, 1st revised with an additional cost of Tk 4,402.45 crore, Further development of Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, 1st revised with an additional cost of Tk 60.09 crore, Establishment of RMU at Rajshahi Medical University, 1st revised with an additional cost of Taka 390.86 crore, Construction of necessary infrastructures and extension of ancillary facilities at Mugda Medical College with Tk 580.75 crore, Supporting Implementation of the Mother and Child Benefit Programme (SIMCBP) and Bangladesh Enhancing Investments and Benefits for Early Years (BEIBEY) with Tk 106.04 crore.