Ecnec approves Tk3,089.97C Meghna River bank protection project

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday approved a Tk3,089.97 crore Meghna River bank protection project in a bid to protect erosion prone areas and establishments at Ramgati and Kamalnagar upazilas in Laxmipur district.

The approval came from a meeting of Ecnec held with its Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The premier joined the meeting virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence while ministers, state ministers, planning commission members, and secretaries attended the meeting from the NEC Conference Room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said that a total of nine projects were approved on Tuesday involving an overall estimated cost of Tk5,239.62 crore.

He informed that the Bangladesh Water Development Board under the Ministry of Water Resources will implement the river bank protection project at Borokheri and Ludhuabazar under Ramgati and Kamalnagar upazilas and Kaderpanditer Hut under Laxmipur district with Tk3,089.97 crore by June 2025 — entirely funded by the government.

The main project operations include 31.326 kilometres of riverbank protection work, construction of 18 regulators, 2 drainage outlets and some 12,116 afforestation projects.

Once the project is implemented, it would be possible to protect the farm lands, markets, bazars, schools, colleges, madrasas, roads and various public and private establishments and infrastructures worth Tk13,99,220 crore from river erosion and thus protect crops over some 30,000 hectares of land from tidal surge.