DHAKA, July 20, 2018 (BSS) – The government has taken a big move to frame a master plan for developing the infrastructures of some 183 non-municipal upazila towns involving around Taka 1,380 crore in a bid to improve the living standard of the people.
“The Planning Commission received a draft project proposal to this end from the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and it is awaiting approval of the ECNEC after necessary formalities,” said a senior Planning Commission official.
The official told BSS that the LGED under the Local Government Division will implement the project titled ‘Formulation of master plan at upazila towns (non-municipal) and development of basic infrastructures,” by June 2022 with entire GoB fund.
The Planning Commission official also opined that this project would help reducing the pressure of growing population on the big cities and towns of the country.
According to the draft project, some 309 upazila towns have already been upgraded to pourashavas (municipality) under various categories out of the country’s 492 upazilas.
“The important urban infrastructure development project (1st phase)” has already been implemented in those 309 upazilas from January, 2011 to June, 2018 with Taka 1,258 crore to improve the living standards of the pourashava citizens through improving the necessary infrastructures.
Besides, currently “The important urban infrastructures development project (2nd phase)” is under implementation in those upazilas from January, 2018 to December, 2021 to further improve infrastructures there with Taka 3,465.50 crore.
“Apart from this, development of various physical infrastructures has been continuing in those upazilas under some foreign aided projects,” said the Planning Commission official.
The official also said since there was no single or big project to carry out infrastructural development in the rest of 183 non-municipal upazila towns, the Local Government Division at first drafted the project to ensure basic civic facilities like road, traffic management, sanitation and waste management in those selected upazila towns.
The Pre-Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting on the project was held on November 30 last year where it gave emphasis on framing a master plan for the infrastructural development of those non-municipal upazila towns. The PEC meeting also revised the estimated cost of the project to Taka 1,380 crore from the earlier proposed Taka 1,499.90 crore.
Talking to the national news agency, another official at the LGED said that each non-municipal upazila town under the project would get Taka 48 lakh for framing the master plan while Taka 6.37 crore for infrastructural development.
The main project operations include formulation of master plans for some 183 upazila towns, construction and reconstruction of some 560 kilometer roads, construction of some 915 meter bridges and culverts apart from construction and reconstruction of drains.
The project is also aligned with the goals and objectives of the 7th Five Year Plan.