204 Upazila complexes to have four storeys

The government has decided to extend 204 Upazila complex buildings at a cost of Tk 11.99 billion, with each being four-storey.

It has approved three development projects, including one on Upazila Complex Extension, with an outlay of Tk 14.19 billion.

The approval came from the meeting of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) held at the NEC conference room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Tuesday.

ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told reporters after the meeting.

Kamal said all the expense of the three projects will come from the national exchequer.

Under the Upazila Complex Extension Project (first revised), each of the four-storey Upazila complex buildings will have one-storey hall room, system for preserving rainwater, solar panels, emergency exit and fire extinguishing system.

According to the project outline, although it was supposed to ensure 40,000 square feet office space in each Upazila as per the design approved in 1982, the office space in most of the Upazilas was much less.

As a result, it said, it had become difficult to accommodate sufficient number of offices in most of the Upazila complex buildings constructed in the 1980s.

The planning minister said the remaining Upazila complex buildings would be gradually extended with modern facilities. However, the buildings in the coastal belt would be five-storey considering possible cyclones.

The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) is implementing the project which will be completed by June 2017.

The top economic policymaking body in its Tuesday’s meeting also approved the Integrated Rural Employment Assistance Project (Revised) for the poor and distressed rural women.

Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB) will implement the project by December 2016 at a cost of Tk 1.31 billion.

Under the project, each of some 50,000 rural women under 59 Upazilas of 15 districts of Khulna and Barisal divisions will be given Tk 15,000 each as microcredit to empower the poor and distressed women.

The ECNEC meeting endorsed another project titled "Construction of connecting road from Shirnirtek to Gabtoli Bridge (revised)" at a cost of Tk 890 million to be implemented by the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) by June 2015.

The connecting road aims to reduce traffic congestion creating a link between Tongi-Uttara-Ashulia highway and Dhaka-Aricha highway.

Ministers, Planning Commission members and Secretaries concerned attended the meeting.