PM directs LGD to formulate rural road renovation master plan 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed the Local Government Division (LGD) to formulate a master plan to renovate road infrastructure in rural areas across the country.

To this end, she has instructed the LGD to work jointly with the road department, the disaster management and relief ministry, and other government road construction agencies.

The prime minister gave the instructions while approving the first revision to the "Important rural infrastructure development project: Barishal, Jhalakathi and Pirojpur districts" proposal at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday. She virtually presided over the meeting held at the National Economic Council conference centre in the capital.

At the end of the meeting, Planning Division Senior Secretary Md Asadul Islam talked about the prime minister's directives in a press briefing.

He said the prime minister had instructed to closely monitor whether development work of the local government was going well.

"She [the prime minister] said it needed to be checked whether quality bitumen and other materials were being used to construct these roads. She also said steps to address waterlogging on roads had to be considered while constructing them," Asadul said. 

He said a master plan needed to be formulated to schedule renovation of rural roads. "The master plan will include an idea of the extent of road renovations and the amount of money that will be spent on this work."    

"At the meeting, the prime minister directed the authorities concerned to keep a river channel open through dredging to protect different areas from river erosion.

"In addition, she instructed officials concerned to save a buffer zone to store water by the river to protect roads and other infrastructures in the rainy season," the secretary added.