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The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Wednesday approved a substantial increase in the cost of the Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway project, raising its budget by nearly Tk 9,493 crore as part of a package of new and revised development projects worth more than Tk 14,000 crore.
The approval came at an ECNEC meeting held at the Secretariat and chaired by Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson Tarique Rahman. Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, along with other ministers and state ministers, attended the meeting.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, State Minister for Planning Md Junaid Abdur Rahim Saki said ECNEC approved three new projects with a combined cost of Tk 4,303.84 crore and five revised projects involving an additional Tk 9,737.37 crore in expenditure.
The largest increase was allocated to the second revised Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway Construction Project, whose cost has risen by Tk 9,492.64 crore, accounting for almost the entire increase in the revised project package.
Among the newly approved schemes is a Tk 729.22 crore project to drill two gas exploration wells—Begumganj-6 and Sunetra-2—and one appraisal-cum-development well at Begumganj-5. The project will be implemented between January 2026 and June 2028.
ECNEC also approved a Tk 2,082.12 crore Rural Road Maintenance and Employment Project, scheduled to run from July 2026 to December 2029, aimed at improving rural road infrastructure while creating employment opportunities.
Another newly approved initiative is the Greater Dinajpur Integrated Development Project, covering Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts. The project, estimated to cost Tk 1,492.50 crore, will be implemented from April 2026 to June 2030.
In addition to the Dhaka-Ashulia Expressway, ECNEC approved cost revisions for four other ongoing projects. These include an additional Tk 1,023.31 crore for the Disaster Shelter Construction, Renovation and Improvement Project, Tk 368 crore for the Universal Social Infrastructure Development Project-2 (GSIDP-2), Tk 117.41 crore for the Sylhet Power Distribution System Development Project, and about Tk 81.31 crore for expanding kidney dialysis centres in medical college and district hospitals.
The meeting was also informed about nine projects, each costing less than Tk 50 crore, that had already been approved by the Planning Minister under delegated authority. These include projects involving National University regional offices, mobile network installation at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s third terminal, road widening schemes, power transmission infrastructure linked to the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, expansion of the eastern grid network, and the establishment of six BITAC centres across the country.
With Wednesday’s approvals, the government has significantly expanded its development portfolio, placing particular emphasis on transport infrastructure, energy exploration, rural connectivity and regional development.