Govt moves to fast-track project delivery
State Minister for Planning Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki has said the government is preparing a series of policy reforms to shorten project implementation delays, strengthen accountability and improve public spending as part of efforts to accelerate economic recovery.
Briefing reporters after an Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting at the Secretariat on Wednesday, Saki said eight of the nine projects placed before the committee were approved, while one was sent back for revision.
The returned project involves riverbank protection in Bhola’s Shibpur, Dhonia and Medua areas to prevent erosion by the Meghna River. He said the proposal would be revised in line with ECNEC observations before being resubmitted.
Saki said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and senior policymakers scrutinised every project, focusing on financing, implementation, expenditure and eliminating unnecessary costs.
“The Prime Minister has consistently emphasised identifying wasteful expenditure and ensuring every taka is spent efficiently,” he said.
The state minister acknowledged that Bangladesh’s project approval process remains excessively lengthy, with project preparation, approval and administrative procedures often taking around two years before implementation begins.
In many cases, actual construction starts three to five years later, slowing development activities and Annual Development Programme (ADP) implementation, he said. To address the problem, the government is preparing new policies and guidelines to speed up implementation.
He said the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) has already submitted recommendations, while a draft policy on appointing project directors and new training programmes are also being prepared to improve implementation capacity.
He said the strategic framework has already been submitted to the Prime Minister, while the digital monitoring dashboard is in its final stage and will be launched soon.
The ministry is also working to integrate automation systems across several government institutions, including the Planning Division, Public Procurement Authority, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, National Board of Revenue, Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, ICT Division and Bangladesh Bank.
The government aims to complete these reform initiatives within the next 180 days, he added.
Responding to questions about higher project costs, Saki said the increase in expenditure for the Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway resulted from exchange rate changes, VAT and tax adjustments, utility relocation costs and the addition of five new project components.
He said a committee formed on the Prime Minister’s instructions is reviewing existing project rate schedules to recommend more realistic generic and specialised cost estimates.
Regarding the revised Universal Social Infrastructure Development Project, Saki said the allocation has increased by Tk 368 crore, taking the total project cost to Tk 1,450 crore.
The revised project includes the construction and renovation of graveyards, cremation grounds, mosques, temples, churches, pagodas, gurdwaras and Eidgahs, incorporating additional demands received after the current government assumed office.
