Rangpur Division to see improved road communication

The government is planning to improve road communications in three districts of Rangpur Division to ease transportation and marketing of agricultural and non-agricultural products.

In this regard, the Local Government and Rural Development and Cooperatives Ministry sent a proposal to the Planning Commission for the approval of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), a senior official of the Planning Ministry said.

The project will be implemented in 23 upazilas of Rangpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts.

The project aims to develop 24.44 percent of upazila roads, 40.10 percent of union parishad roads and 40.10 percent of village roads alongside 9.05 percent development of upazila roads by establishing modern civic facilities.

The cost of the project is estimated at Tk1, 800 crore which will come from the government exchequer. The Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED) will implement the project by December 2025.

According to the project proposal, greater Dinajpur is one of the industrial regions in the country.

There are 200 small and big tea gardens along with sugar mills, jute mills, electric pole making industry and Marshall Distilleries in Panchagarh district.

There are sugar mills, jute mills and silk factories in Thakurgaon district. Dinajpur district has too sugar mills, jute mills and more than 100 auto rice mills.

Pebbles from Panchagarh district and hard rock from underground from Dinajpur district are being used in the country for construction of infrastructural development.

Barapukuria’s high-quality coal is saving the energy sector’s valuable foreign exchange.

Establishment of uninterrupted communication in various upazilas of Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts for marketing of agricultural and industrial products will be increased, the proposal also said.

The main component of the project is construction of 19.7-km upazila road, 386.3-km union parishad road, 932.7-km village road, 383-km bridge on rural roads, 102.95-km road rehabilitation and 23-km tree planting and maintenance.