ECNEC Approves 14 Projects Worth Tk 13,445 Crore

During the meeting held at the Secretariat on Sunday, the committee greenlit 5 new projects, 5 revised ones, and extended the duration for 4 others. Out of the total expenditure, Tk 8,089.56 crore will be funded by the government, while Tk 5,340.26 crore will be sourced from foreign loans. Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and other senior officials were present at the session.

While approving these projects, the government expressed serious concern over repeated deadline extensions in several infrastructure sectors. Notably, three projects involving road and bridge development in the Barishal and Patuakhali regions had their deadlines extended up to five times. To address this inefficiency, a high-level investigation committee led by the Cabinet Secretary has been formed to identify the causes of these delays. Major approved projects include urban healthcare expansion, customs modernization, emergency water supply for Dhaka, and the construction of border roads in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.