The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday approved a project for constructing Multipurpose Disaster Shelter Center with an estimated cost of Tk 3,170.76 crore to protect people of the coastal areas from various natural disasters. The approval came from the ECNEC held at the NEC conference room in the city’s Agargoan area with ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
After the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said that a total of five projects were approved involving an overall estimated cost of Tk 4,636.80 crore. “Of the total project cost, Tk 1,476.04 crore will come from the state exchequer while the rest of Tk 3,160.76 crore from project assistance.”
Some 556 cyclone shelters are being built under the project which would be used for conducting academic activities of primary education and other academic purposes, he added. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked the authorities concerned to ensure necessary access roads, reservoirs for preserving rain water, toilets and store rooms in those cyclone centers to ensure maximum facilities for the beneficiaries.
Under the project, there will also be vertical and horizontal expansion of some 450 cyclone shelters besides construction of some 182km access roads and construction of 656 metres of bridges and culverts. The ECNEC has also approved a project to set up a chancery complex at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia in a bid to facilitate the operations of the Bangladesh mission at Jeddah with an estimated cost of Tk 208.79 crore.
The minister said Bangladesh mission in Jeddah is currently running its operation in a rented house, but Jeddah is commercially very important for Bangladesh for which the Chancery Complex would be built. Prime Minister has asked the authorities concerned to keep free access of the expatriates Bangladeshis in the Chancery Complex there once it is built.
She also underscored the need for keeping all necessary amenities there like spacious sitting arrangements, toilets and water facilities considering the huge number of expatriates. Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah will implement the project with an estimated cost of Tk 208.79 crore to be completed by September 2023. Under the project, the chancery complex would be built at Bogdadia area in Jeddah.
The chancery complex building would be three storied having a space of 6,354 square metres. Besides, there will be officers’ residential building having a space of 6060 square metres, staffs residential building having a space of 6300 square metres. The ECNEC has also approved a proposal for increasing the timeframe of Establishment of National Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Referral Center (2nd revised) without increasing its cost, upgrading important regional highways into due standard and width (Rangpur Zone), 1st revised with Tk 993.90 crore, Development of Darshana-Mujibnagar regional highway with Tk 149.83 crore and Construction of Chashara-Khanpur-Hajiganj-Godnail-Adamjee EPZ Road with Tk 113.52 crore.
