ECNEC approves eight development projects outlaying Tk. 6,387 crore

The project has been taken involving Taka 1,128 crore as the port posses huge potentiality to become another vibrant port of the country. Payra Port Authority will implement the project by June 2018.

The approval came from the ECNEC meeting with its chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair held at the NEC conference room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Thursday.

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, after the meeting, briefed the newsmen about the outcome. He said the ECNEC cleared eight development projects with outlay of Taka 6,387 crore. "Of the total project cost, the government will provide Tk 4,197 crore from national exchequer while the organization concerned will contribute Tk 25 crore from its own fund and the remaining Tk 2,165 crore would come from project assistance," he added.

Of the approved eight projects, seven are new while one is revised project.

Planning Ministry sources said unloading of goods through the Payra sea port would start in a limited scale by December and until establishment of full-fledged Payra Port system, the loading and unloading of the goods would be done from the commercial ships at the outer anchorage.

To operate the port activities, minimum infrastructural facilities would be set up including ware house, crane, pontoon, pilot boat, tug boat, buoy, laying vessel, survey boat, administrative building.

Under the project, 5.60-kilometre four-lane road from Rajpara to Payra port would be constructed to establish link with the national highway.

Besides, land acquisition, construction of warehouse, Ramnabad and Kaliganj water route dredging, and procurement of high-speed boats, pilot boats, tugboat, survey vessel and service pontoons are in the project as major activities.

The Payra Deep Seaport, a high priority project of the government, is situated on the west bank of Ramnabad channel at Kalapara upazila in Patuakhali district as the channel's outer part has a 16-21 meter depth that would allow high-draft vessel to move easily.

At present, 95 percent cargos are being handled by Chittagong Port alone, but expansion and development of the port is appeared impossible due to establishment of residential and industrial infrastructures.

Moreover, the Pashur River is losing its navigability for incessant siltation that is creating obstruction to vessel movement. So, Payra Port has a huge potentiality to be another vibrant port of the country in near future.

The Planning Minister said limited physical infrastructures like pontoon, crane, security building have already been accomplished on 16 acres of land for the project while necessary works have already been completed for lightering from the bigger vessels to smaller vessels.

Once some more infrastructural works are completed within the next few months, it would be possible to start port operations in a limited scale.

Earlier, on November 19, 2013, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally inaugurated the Payra Sea Port as the country's 3rd sea port at Ramnabad Channel under Kalapara Upazila in Patuakhali district.

The other projects approved in the meeting are Establishment and Modernization of regional office of BSTI at Chittagong and Khulna with Tk 182.33 crore, rural infrastructure development at greater Pabna and Bogra districts with Tk 468.09 crore, strengthening sustainable nutrition security through production of pulse and oil seed with Tk 168.47 crore, construction of residential buildings for the officials and employees of Planning Commission and Planning Division with Tk 105.88 crore, construction of some 608 residential flats for the government officials and employees at Paikpara in city's Mirpur with Tk 458.62 crore, establishment of Ship Model Testing Center at Bangladesh Engineering University with Tk 48.84 crore and Secondary Education Sector Investment Program (1st revised) with Tk 3,826.92 crore.

Ministers and State Minsters attended the meeting while Planning Commission members and concerned secretaries were present.