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The Bhanga-Barishal four-lane road project may receive approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) within the next three months, Planning State Minister Jonaed Saki said on Friday.
Once implemented, the project will bring significant changes to road connectivity in southern Bangladesh, including access to the coastal tourist destination Kuakata, he said.
The government also plans to upgrade the Barishal-Kuakata road to four lanes, the state minister added.
Saki made the remarks while speaking to journalists after attending a two-day tourism carnival in Kuakata, Patuakhali, around noon on Friday.
He said the government was bringing all development activities under comprehensive master plans to reduce delays in project implementation and ensure coordinated development.
Meanwhile, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat said the government would prepare a master plan with the help of international planners to make the country’s tourism sector more attractive and encourage greater foreign investment.
Millat said the previous government had undertaken development projects without proper planning, alleging that public funds had been misused in the name of various projects.
“Our government’s goal is to ensure planned development,” he said.
Bangladesh has around 1,500 tourist destinations across the country, including Cox’s Bazar and Kuakata, but they are not generating the expected government revenue, the minister said.
He said a comprehensive tourism master plan prepared by international experts would help improve the sector’s appeal and attract foreign investors.
ABM Mosharraf Hossain, lawmaker for Patuakhali-4, and senior officials from the Barishal and Patuakhali district administrations attended the meeting.