Tk62,960cr new projects await Ecnec nod on Tuesday

Infographics: TBS

A record 31 new projects worth Tk62,960 crore will be presented at the Economic Council Executive Committee (Ecnec) meeting today, ahead of the upcoming national elections. This amount is equivalent to the construction cost of two Padma bridges.

Of the projects, 27 are in the energy and physical infrastructure sectors, according to sources in the Planning Commission.

Another 13 projects, with a total value of Tk11,257 crore, are expected to be presented at the meeting for increasing their expenditure by Tk12,103 and extending their deadlines.

Additionally, proposals to extend the period of six projects will also be taken up at the Ecnec meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said sources at the commission.

Former Planning Commission secretary Md Mamun-Al-Rashid said approving so many projects in one meeting is not appropriate, as the Planning Commission cannot scrutinise them properly.

He pointed out that around 40 projects were approved without proper vetting in each Ecnec meeting before the 2018 elections, and these projects had to be amended repeatedly.

He said all the projects now being presented in a hurry arrived at the last minute. If these projects had been sent to the Planning Commission at least six months earlier, proper scrutiny would have been possible. All government bodies come up with last-minute initiatives before elections, but it doesn't seem like there would have been much of a problem with these projects if they had been presented after the election.

Mustafa K Mujeri, former director general of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, said a bunch of projects are rushed through before elections to appease politicians, bureaucrats, and dignitaries. These projects are politically motivated and are approved so that politicians can visit the area and give speeches.

He also said the hasty approval process before elections lacks transparency and does not take into account development standards or government regulations. Opportunists are emboldened by the rapid approval of projects.

Mustafa K Mujeri said even if projects are approved before elections, many are unlikely to be completed. Implementing such projects is complex and requires careful selection to avoid the need for repeated revisions. These projects often have no benefits, which is why rushing project approval before elections should be avoided.

Road and bridge projects 

Sources in the Planning Commission said seven projects of the Road Transport and Highways Division and the Bridges Division will be presented for approval in Tuesday's meeting.

These include Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Highway Improvement Project, worth Tk8,556 crore, which will establish sustainable connectivity with the under-construction Matarbari Port. The Japanese government will provide a loan of Tk5,709 crore for the project.

Another project worth Tk6,140 crore for the land acquisition and relocation of utilities for upgrading the Bhanga-Jashore-Benapole highway to four lanes will be presented for approval at the meeting.

In addition, a project to construct the Mirganj Bridge over the Arial Khan River on the Rahmatpur-Babuganj-Muladi-Hijla highway at a cost of Tk1,442 crore will be presented at the meeting. This is expected to establish an uninterrupted road connection between Barishal divisional city and the Muladi and Hijla upazilas.

Railway projects 

Three railway projects, including two new ones, will be presented for approval at the upcoming meeting, according to sources in the Planning Commission.

One of the new projects is a Tk10,797 crore project to convert the 85-year-old metre gauge railway track of the Chattogram-Dohajari section into dual gauge, which will facilitate the uninterrupted movement of high-speed trains from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar via Chattogram. The Asian Development Bank will provide a loan of Tk7,085 crore for the project.

The Planning Commission believes that this train connection will play an important role in commercial communication with Matarbari deep sea port and in expanding the tourist industry in Cox's Bazar in the future.

Projects to attract foreign investment

The government has initiated the process of establishing the country's 10th export processing zone in Jashore to attract $2 billion in foreign direct investment and achieve $2.4 billion in annual exports.

A Tk1,892.72 crore project to set up the Jashore Export Processing Zone will be presented to the Ecnec meeting. According to the project proposal, 438 industrial plots will be developed with an investment of Tk1,892.7 crore, and the development of the proposed export processing zone will be completed by June 2026.

Additionally, a Tk1,195 crore project for the construction of gas, electricity, and communication infrastructure in Maheshkhali Economic Zone-3 (Dalghata) will also be presented to the Ecnec.

Projects for the installation of gas meters 

Planning Commission officials said three projects for the installation of gas meters at a cost of Tk6437.54 crore are being proposed in the Ecnec.

The projects are: installation of Smart Prepaid Gas Meters, SCADA & GIS at the PGCL Franchise Area, Gas Sector Efficiency Improvement & Carbon Abatement Project and Smart Metering Energy Efficiency Improvement Project.

Once completed, these projects will increase the prepaid metering coverage for household users of the state-owned company to 81.79%, according to Titas officials.

32 approved projects to be taken up in Ecnec for information

Thirty-two approved projects, each costing Tk50 crore or less, will be presented for information at the upcoming Ecnec meeting. These projects were recently approved by the planning minister and include seven road infrastructure projects, 16 socioeconomic infrastructure projects, and eight agricultural water resources and rural institutions projects.