Dhaka-Yangon road project seek NEC nod

Dhaka: The Planning Commission has sent to the executive committee of the National Economic Council for approval a project proposal for the construction of a 25km road link connecting Bangladesh with Myanmar.

Sources in the commission said it had recently sent the proposal to the committee for the approval of the first-phase construction of the road after scrutiny of the communications ministry proposal involving the Tk 141 crore.

The communications ministry sent the development proposal to the commission in September after the signing of the road link agreement between Dhaka and Yangon in July.

The Planning Commission in 2005 refused to approve the proposal of the ministry saying there was no agreement between the two countries on the road project. The commission asked the ministry to send the proposal after the signing of the agreement.
The communications adviser, MA Matin, and the construction minister of Myanmar, Saw Tun, signed the agreement in July to establish a direct road link between the two neighbouring countries four years after the move had been initiated.

‘We hope ECNEC to will approve the project soon for inviting bids for the road construction,’ a communications ministry official said.

Under the deal, Bangladesh will construct 25 kilometres of the road stretch, including 23 kilometres inside Myanmar, in the first phase, linking Guandhum in Cox’s Bazar with Baulibazar in Myanmar at a cost of Tk 141 crore.

The total length of the proposed road stretching from Taungbro to Kyauktaw in Myanmar via Ramu and Guandhum to Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh is 153km. It will be constructed in two phases at an estimated cost of Tk 933.46 crore.

The 153km road link was considered a major component of the ‘look east policy’ adopted by the immediate-past BNP-led government in 2002 to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian countries, especially China.

Former prime minister Khaleda Zia proposed to build the highway during her visit to Myanmar in 2003. The head of the Myanmar government visited Bangladesh next year and laid the foundation stone of the road at Teknaf.