The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Monday approved five projects with an outlay of Tk 407 crore to be financed from local resources.

Finance and Planning Minister Saifur Rahman chaired the meeting in the NEC conference room, advising officials concerned to implement the projects within three years.

“In default, the projects will be cancelled and new projects will be taken up,” he told reporters following the meeting.

Madunaghat water supply project (revised) under Chittagong WASSA (Tk 135 crore) is a major one among the projects approved on Monday.

Other projects include Bangladesh Railway’s second phase passenger coach rehabilitation project (Tk105 crore) to rehabilitate 258 meter-gauge and 110 broad-gauge coaches, and railway’s brake-van conversion project (Tk 26 crore) to convert vacuum brake to air- brakes of 16 meter-gauge locomotives, 50 passenger coaches, 180 freight wagons and eight brake-vans.

The meeting also took decision for establishing seven vocational training centres each in Thakurgaon, Lalmonirhat, Chapainawabganj, Khagrachari, Laxmipur, Narsingdi and Natore districts (revised) and five women vocational training centres each in Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet, Chittagong and Barisal divisions.

LGRD Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Industries Minister Motiur Rahman Nizami, Communications Minister Barrister Nazmul Huda, Agriculture Minister M K Anwar, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Barrister Aminul Haque, Water Resources Minister Hafizuddin Ahmed, Bir Bikram, State Minister

for Finance and Planing Major General (retd) M Anwarul Kabir Talukder, and State Minister for Labour and Employment Amanullah Aman attended the meeting.

Cabinet secretary, members of the Planning Commission and concerned high officials were present.