The scheduled meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has been postponed due to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's upcoming visit to Japan. As a result, the approval process for 15 proposed development projects, valued at approximately BDT 9,000 crore, has been delayed.
 
The meeting was originally scheduled to take place on Sunday (October 25) at the NEC Conference Room in the capital's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. However, the decision to postpone was made at the last minute.
 
Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson Tarique Rahman was scheduled to preside over the meeting. Officially, the postponement was attributed to "unavoidable reasons". However, responsible officials from the Planning Commission disclosed that the final decision to postpone the meeting was taken last night specifically due to the Prime Minister’s Japan trip.
 
According to Planning Commission sources, the Prime Minister is scheduled to depart for Japan on a flight on Sunday evening. Ahead of the trip, he needs to complete official work on several important files. Under these circumstances, holding the ECNEC meeting would have made it difficult to conclude before lunch. Taking the overall situation into account, the decision was made to postpone the scheduled meeting.
 
A total of 15 development projects had been prepared for presentation at the postponed meeting. The total estimated cost for implementing these projects was around BDT 9,000 crore. With the meeting not taking place, the approval process for these projects has been temporarily delayed.
 
Among the notable projects awaiting approval were the drilling projects for two evaluation and development gas wells—Titas-32 and Titas-33—in the Titas Gas Field. Additionally, the list included the "Innovation Climate-Smart Urban Development" project and the Netrokona University establishment project.
 
The list of proposed projects also included a safe water supply and sanitation project in the Varendra region. Furthermore, a project for the development of damaged road sections, drainage, and footpaths under Dhaka South City Corporation was prepared for approval.
 
Two projects aimed at purchasing specialized and operational vehicles to enhance the capacity of the Bangladesh Police were also slated to be presented at the ECNEC meeting. Concurrently, a project to set up Nuclear Medicine Centers at five medical colleges across the country was awaiting approval.