Home ›› National ›› Development
For the time being, the government will not approve any new road projects, and maintenance of the existing roads will be given priority, Planning Minister MA Mannan said on Wednesday.
The minister made the remark in a dialogue titled, “Implementation of Public Infrastructure Projects (PIPs) in Bangladesh: Ensuring Good Value for Money”- organised jointly by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and The Asia Foundation at a hotel in Dhaka on Wednesday.
ALSO READ: ECNEC clears Tk 1,092cr project to widen Cox’s Bazar Marine Drive
However, work to upgrade inter-district roads to four lanes will continue, he added.
The planning minister said he was incorrectly quoted in various newspapers on Wednesday as saying there was no more road project. The fact is that no new road project will be taken up right now. If necessary, new road projects will be approved after 2/5 years.
ALSO READ: Govt, JICA sign $1.14b loan deal for 2 projects
He said Bangladesh has the highest road density in the world. The number of people using one kilometre of a road is much higher than in India or any other country. Therefore, the emphasis will be on the maintenance of the existing roads.
While the construction of new roads is to be halted, u-loops, inter-pass, and over-passes will be constructed in the places where public movement is being disrupted due to highways.
