5,500km of roads, 31,000m of bridges to be built
A total 13,500 kilometres of pitched road and 3,800 metres of bridges or culverts will also be renovated during this period to bolster the existing rural road infrastructure
The finance minister has proposed Tk39,573 crore for the local government and rural development sector in the fiscal year (FY) 2020-21 – which was Tk37,886 crore in FY2019-20.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal placed the proposal before the parliament on Thursday.
According to the budget documents, 5,550 kilometres of road and 31,000 metres of bridges, or culvert extensions on these roads, will be built in the rural sector, including the expansion of climate-resilient core road networks.
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A total 13,500 kilometres of pitched road and 3,800 metres of bridges or culverts will also be renovated during this period to bolster existing rural road infrastructure.
As many as 195 haat-bazaars (growth centres) will be developed to increase agricultural and non-agricultural outputs by stimulating the rural economy, creating job opportunities and influencing supply chains.
A total 830 kilometres of roads and footpaths, 250 kilometres of drains and 3,000 metres of bridges in small and big cities would also be constructed.
"Direct employment for 12 crore man-hours and a huge opportunity for indirect employment will be created by the development work in FY2020-21," the finance minister said.
The minister said, "In the last eleven years, from 2009 until February 2020, a total 62,149 kilometres of rural roads have been built – which covered the construction of 93.84 percent of upazila roads, 79.32 percent of union roads and 20 percent of rural roads."
