Nes Desk: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday approved five projects involving Tk 2,570.15 crore including a project to ensure uninterrupted power supply for DPDC areas in Dhaka and Narayanganj cities a cost of Tk 1,454.05 crore.
The approval came from the ECNEC meeting held at the NEC Conference Room in the capital’s Sher-E-Bangla Nagar area with ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. The PM joined the meeting from Ganobhaban through video conferencing.
Briefing the reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said, “Today’s Ecnec meeting approved five projects involving an overall estimated cost of Tk 2,570.15 crore.”
Of the total amount, Tk 1,485.13 crore will come from the state exchequer while Tk 1,002.42 crore will be from foreign sources and the rest Tk 82.60 crore from the fund of the organization concerned, , he added.
Speaking of the Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) project, Mannan said the project involving Tk 1454.04 crore was placed aiming to ensure the uninterrupted power supply to its clients through upgrading the system.

The DPDC will implement the project titled ‘Construction and renovation of substations, Setting up capacitors in power system, and introduction of smart grid system’ by June 2023.

The major project operations include construction of two new 132/33 KV (including 33/11 KV) substations, four 33/11 KV substations, renovation and augmentation of three existing substations, making five 33 KV AIS substations as GIS substations, introduction of smart grid system on pilot basis under the DPDC areas, procurement of 11 vehicles, and construction of 15 substation bhabans.

Some 15 lakh new clients will get power connections under the new project.

Replying to a query, the minister said no fund will be spent “illogically”.

“Rather we will spend more money logically, because if we reduce spending cost the economy will collapse. So we must ensure that fund is being utilized properly and there is no misuse… The government will ensure that projects are being implemented properly,” he added.

Mannan said, it can’t be denied that consultancy services, vehicles, foreign trips and trainings are required to implement a project.

The project implementing body must ensure that the foreign travels and trainings do not turns into pleasure trips, he instructed.

Mannan said Approving a project in no way indicates giving a blank cheque, rather the Planning Ministry maintains a constant communication with the executing agencies, ministries, line ministers and secretaries.

“We won’t interfere but have a constant communication with the stakeholders concerned (for swift project implementation),” he added.

The Ecnec also approved several other projects including a project for expansion of artificial insemination activities and implementation of embryo transfer technology (Tk 206.30 crore), a project on buffalo research and development project (Tk 63.17 crore), a project for development of rural communities (Tk 47.73 crore) and a project on the Sheikh Kamal IT Training and Incubation Store Establishment Project at estimated cost of Tk 798.91 crore.