Tk 21,985 crore for overhead metro rail

United News of Bangladesh
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) has approved the much-awaited Tk 21,985 crore Metro Rail project aimed at reducing traffic jam in the capital.
The approval was given at the 9th Ecnec meeting of the current fiscal year held at the NEC conference room with Ecnec Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Commission Member Mohammad Abdul Mannan Howlader said eight development projects involving Tk 26,271 crore were approved at the meeting. “Of the total cost, Tk 6,869 crore will come from the government fund, while the remaining Tk 19,402 crore in project assistance.”
Under the project, the Planning Commission member said, a 20.1-km overhead rail track would be constructed at Uttara-Motijheel route via Pallabi, Khamarbari, Farmgate, Sonargaon Hotel, Shahbagh, TSC and Press Club to Bangladesh Bank.
Once the project, titled ‘Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project’, is completed some 60,000 commuters would be able to travel per hour with a minimum fare of Tk 10 and maximum Tk 60, he said.
“Besides, there’ll be 16 stations and one depot under the project.”
It would take around 37 minutes for each trip between Uttara and Bangladesh Bank.
The Metro Rail project is aimed at reducing traffic jam by constructing and operating elevated metro rail line, for the first time in the capital.
The rail track will be constructed in three phases.
The Pallabi-Sonargaon Hotel route will complete by 2019 and the Sonargaon-Motijheel route by 2020. The Uttara-Pallabi route is expected to be completed by 2022. Japanese government through JICA will provide 76 percent (Tk 16,595 crore) cost of the project while the remaining 24 percent would come from the government fund.
The project also envisages a massive socioeconomic development through modernisation of the public transportation system.
The Ecnec meeting approved another project called ‘Coastal Climate Resilient Infrastructure’ project at a cost of Tk 1230 crore. Under the project, 12 coastal districts of the country’s southwestern region will have climate resilient infrastructures.
The infrastructure project is expected to help improve the standard of life of rural people by helping reduce poverty. The project includes works for rural road network development, market facility enhancement and climate tolerance. ADB, SCF, IFAD and KfW will provide Tk 974 crore for the project.
The other projects approved at the meeting are: Reaching Out of School Children (ROSC) Project (Tk 1140 crore, GoB-58 crore and PA-1082 crore); Transformation of existing non-government schools into model schools in 310 selected upazilla headquarters (Tk 466 crore-GoB); conversion of Sylhet divisional stadium into an international standard cricket stadium (Tk 87 crore-GoB); construction of Dapdapia Bridge on Barisal-Patuakhali road (3rd revised) project (Tk 302 crore); Road network development and maintenance (3rd revised)
project (Tk 980 crore) and construction of a 347 meter PC girder bridge on Karatoa River at Sonatola ghat on Ullapara-Belkuchi road (Tk 81 crore).

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