The government has approved the first revision of the multi-sector project to address Rohingya crisis on emergency basis with an additional cost of Taka 9.30 billion to ensure various facilities for the forcibly displaced Rohingyas and also for the host communities in Cox’s Bazar.
The approval came from a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday with ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, reports BSS.
The Prime Minister and Planning Minister MA Mannan joined the meeting from Ganabhaban through a videoconference, while other Ecnec members were connected from NEC Bhaban.
Planning Commission Member Md Zakir Hossain Akand said the Local Government and Engineering Department (LGRD) and the Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE) will jointly implement the project by June 2024 at eight upazilas of Cox’s Bazar namely Ukhia, Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Ramu, Chakoria, Moheshkhali, Kutubdia and Pekua.
He said the main project objectives include mitigating the risk of losses from natural disasters, improving the system of rendering social services, improving safe water and health system, reducing the risk of losses from fire incidents, creating better facilities for education and thus resisting the forcibly displaced Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar from gender-based pressure and strengthening the various measures in this regard.
Zakir informed that although the World Bank and KfW Development Bank were not interested to provide the grant amount initially for this project, but later they were convinced and thus decided to provide an amount of Taka 9.19 billion as grant due to various environmental pollution, damage of sources of water, damage of crop lands and forests by the Rohingyas.
The main project operations include construction of 50 cyclone shelters, 222.97 kilometres of road development, 371 metres of bridge construction and 467.50 metres of culvert construction, construction of 34 multipurpose community centres, 42.15 kilometres of road widening and maintenance, construction of 90 community latrines, installment of 2,500 water options, installment of 14,800 toilets at homes alongside renovating existing toilets and setting up some 2,500 biofill toilets at homes in the project areas.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the meeting noted that due to the influx of the Rohingyas from Myanmar, there has been a negative impact on the local communities or host communities in Cox’s Bazar which needs to be addressed properly.
The ECNEC meeting on Tuesday approved one new and three revised projects involving an overall estimated cost of Taka 16.59 billion.
