The MPs will get Tk 15 crore per constituency for development works under a massive rural infrastructure development project worth Tk 4,691 crore okayed Tuesday, making a big stride in implementing this government's maiden budget

It is one of 10 development projects the Executive Commitee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved in its meeting on Tuesday, involving a total cost of Tk 7,844 crore.

Of the total development spending under the 10 projects, Tk 6,480 crore will come from government exchequer while the rest Tk 1,364 crore as project aid.

ECNEC chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting, which also endorsed a purchase deal for buying from South Korea a big fleet of 300 buses which will mainly be pressed into service in the capital city to improve its ramshackle transport system.

The Tk 4691-crore cost of the important rural infrastructure development project, conceived "on priority basis", will be entirely borne by the government

"Tenured July 2009 to June 2014, the project will cover all the country over where Members of Parliament, irrespective of all political parties, will have an equitable share worth Tk 15 crore each to make infrastructure development in their respective area," said Planning Minister AK Khandaker while briefing reporters after the meeting.

He said that the project was approved by the ECNEC after elaborative discussions on the objectives and ways of smoothly doing the development works.

Answering to a question, he said the project will go through without malpractice, like the other projects. "I think no question regarding corruption will arise."

He told another questioner that the project was approved after appraising all factors through holding pre-Ecnec Meeting (PEC). Planning Division Secretary Habibullah Majumder said the MPs have already submited their project proposals for the development works and after that some of those have been approved abiding by the procedure and proper evaluation.

Sources in the meeting said the Prime Minister directed that the government agencies concerned have to monitor the implementation process of the project, apart from the Members of Parliament

Under the umbrella project, to be implemented by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), some 1,000 kilometers of upazila roads will be developed, 5,100 rural roads developed, 22,000 meters of bridges and culverts built at upazila level and 49,500 bridges and culverts built on rural roads.

Under the transport project, 300 single-decker CNG buses will be procured from Korea for Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) under UDCF loan involving Tk 243 crore, including Tk 207 crore as project assistance.

The Planning Minister said the buses will be procured with 0.5 percent interest to be repaid within a time period of 30 years.

Among the other approved projects are the flood control and drainage project (area-1) to protect Bakshipur of Rajbari and Sengram of Faridpur from erosion by River Padma, the river-embankment conservation project to protect Mahajan Bazar of Narail from erosion by Nabaganga River and Khoksha and Kumarkhali upazila of Kushtia from erosion by Garai River with Tk 98 crore under the Water Resources Ministry.

The rest are regional fisheries and livestock development project (Noakhali component, 1st revised) under the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry involving Tk 97 crore, construction of long-length bridges at upazila and union levels under the Local Government Division with Tk 628 crore, construction of a concrete grain silo at Mongla Port with Ancillary Facilities (50000 MT capacity) project under the Food and Disaster Management Ministry with Tk 199 crore, union-connecting road and infrastructure development: Greater Chitagong (Chitagong and Cox's Bazar) project with a cost of Tk 327 crore, the southern-western rural infrastructure development project under the Local Government Division with Tk 1481 crore, Pirojpur (Hullarhat-Sriramkathi-Swarupkathi road development (revised) project with Tk 26 crore and 347.295-meter PC Girder bridge construction project on River Korotoa at Sonatala Ghat with Tk 54 crore.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, Water Resources Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen, Commerce Minister Faruk Khan, Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain, Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan, Food and Disaster Management Minister Dr. M Abdur Razzak, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdul Latif Biswas and advisers to the Prime Minister were present at the meeting.