Burn unit at CMCH, medical university in Khulna get Ecnec nod

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Thursday (9 May) approved 10 development projects, including Tk1,875-crore one to establish a medical university in Khulna by December 2026.

The approval came from the Ecnec meeting presided over by Ecnec chair and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the NEC conference room in the city.

The total estimated cost of the 10 projects is Tk5,563.68 crore. Of the amount, the government will finance Tk5,203.21 crore and the rest Tk360.47 crore will come from the foreign sources.

The ten projects include eight new schemes and two revised projects.

"Among the 10 projects approved today, one important project was designed to set up a burn unit in Chattogram, for the first time outside Dhaka and another one is to establish a medical university in Khulna," said Planning Minister Abdus Salam while briefing reporters after the meeting.

About the medical university project, Planning Division Senior Secretary Satyajit Karmaker said the project titled 'Land acquisition and development and construction of basic infrastructures for establishment of Sheikh Hasina Medical University, Khulna' was undertaken as part of the government's plan to set up a medical university in each eight divisions of the country.

According to the Planning Commission, the burn unit project will be implemented at Chittagong Medical College Hospital at the cost of Tk284.75 crore by December 2025.

The six new projects include 'Capacity Building of Statistics Service Based on Platform' project involving Tk 144.07 crore; 'Development of Important Rural Infrastructures in Pirojpur and Jhalakathi districts' with Tk 1,100 crore; Development of Important Rural Infrastructures in Barishal district' with Tk 1,000 crore; 'Programme for Sustainability in the Textile and Leather Sector (STILE)' project with Tk 81.44 crore; 'Construction of a new modern Circuit House Bhaban in place of existing one in Dhaka district' with Tk 334.46 crore; and 'Construction of different infrastructures for Border Guard Bangladesh's newly created Gazipur Battalion (63 BGB)' with Tk 223.02 crore.

The Ecnec cleared two revised projects, increasing the cost by Tk527.77 crore for 'Conversion of Wet Process to Dry Process of Chhatak Cement Company Limited (CCCL), Chhatak, Sunamgonj (2nd revised)' project; and slashing the cost by Tk6.4 crore for Urban Resilience Project (URP): DDM Portion (3rd revised).'