Home ›› 12 Mar 2023 ›› Front
The Planning Commission has extended the duration by two years and decreased funding by Tk 32.93 crore of a project to construct 13,000 new bridges and culverts across Bangladesh to improve sewerage and road communication.
The Disaster Management and Relief Ministry had sent the first revision of the development project proposal (DPP) in July for approval, a senior official of the commission told The Business Post.
The official also said that Planning Minister MA Mannan has approved the now extended project. To inform the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council, the project will be placed before it on Sunday.
Initially, the project cost was estimated at Tk 6,578.20 crore and it was supposed to be completed by June 2022.
Now, the cost has dropped to Tk 6,545.27 crore and the project will be implemented by June 2024, according to the revised project proposal.
The Disaster Management Department under the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry is implementing the project. Each bridge and culvert will be at least 15 metres in length.
The project aims to reduce waterlogging and improve the road network by building 13,000 bridges and culverts on the gaps of earthen village roads.
By connecting local marketplaces, growth centres, educational institutions and Union Parishads with roads constructed under Food for Works/ Employment Generation Programme for the Poorest programmes, these bridges and culverts are also expected to ease transportation and marketing of agricultural goods, reduce disaster risks, and above all improve the socio-economic condition in rural areas by reducing poverty.
According to the project proposal, the bridges and culverts will be constructed in 492 upazilas of 64 districts under eight divisions around the country.
This project will help implement the government’s priority programme “My Village My Town,” through which it wants to take all modern civic amenities to every village, added the proposal.
Meanwhile, the government has given utmost priority to the development of the rural economy to accelerate the country’s ongoing development process and make it
sustainable.
It has also undertaken various pro-village programmes like “My Village My Town” and “Amar Bari Amar Khamar” to improve the lives and livelihoods of rural people.
