The government has approved a Taka 319.23 crore project to improve road safety, including traffic infrastructures development, as well as reducing traffic congestion in the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) areas.
The approval came from the 13th Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting of the current fiscal year (FY21), held virtually with ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, reports BSS.
The premier joined the meeting from her official Ganobhaban residence through a videoconferencing while other ECNEC members were connected from the NEC Conference Room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.
“Three projects of two ministries were approved in today’s meeting. The total estimated cost of these three projects is Tk 5,189.69 crore,” said Planning Division Senior Secretary Md Ashadul Islam while briefing reporters after the meeting.
Among these, two are revised projects and the rest one is a fresh project, he said.
Of the total cost, Ashadul said Taka 2,270.76 will come as project assistance while the rest from the government of Bangladesh.
Talking about the project titled ‘Road Safety including Improvement of Traffic Infrastructures in Dhaka North City Corporation Areas,’ Member of the Planning Commission Md. Mamun-al-Rashid said the DNCC will implement the project by June 2023 with an estimated cost of Taka 319.23 crore.
The main objectives of the project include easing the movement of people and traffic, reducing traffic congestion, enhancing safety by improving the city’s thoroughfares in planned ways as well as construction of foot-over bridges, development of existing foot-over bridges, installing escalators with the foot-over bridges in order to ensure safe movement of pedestrians.
The major project operations include development of 13.68-km road, construction of 9.05-km roadside drainage and 6.58-km pipe drainage, development of 26.58-km footpath, 7.74-km road median, installation of 22.77-km MS grill fencing, 22.31-km SS grill fencing and 1710 traffic signs, construction of 50 passenger camps and 36 new foot-over bridges, development of 47 foot-over bridges, and installation of 17 escalators with foot-over bridges.
Md Ashadul Islam said though it was proposed that DNCC will finance Taka 63.85 crore for the project, the Prime Minister directed to finance the project fully from the government’s fund.
The Prime Minister also asked the local government bodies, including city corporations, to enhance their capacity gradually to execute the development projects with their own revenues in future.