The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday approved the 2nd revision of Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development (Line-6) project with an additional cost of Tk11,486.92 crore.

With the latest revision, the length of the metro rail (Line-6) will increase by 1.16km while the total cost will reach Tk33,471.99 crore.

The approval came from the 1st Ecnec meeting in the current fiscal year with Ecnec chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

She joined the meeting virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban while Ministers, State Ministers, Planning Commission members and Secretaries concerned attended the meeting from the NEC conference room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

Planning Minister MA Mannan briefed reporters after the meeting.

He said that a total of 8 projects were approved today involving an overall estimated cost of Tk15,856.80 crore.

Of the approved eight projects, four are new while four others are revised ones.

Of the total project cost, Tk12,444.25 crore will come from the government of Bangladesh, Tk134.57 crore from the concerned organisation's own fund while the rest of Tk3,277.98 crore as project assistance.

As per the 2nd revision of the metro rail project, there will be civil works, rolling stocks modification, E & M system and station plaza construction from Motijheel to Kamalapur Line.

State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam said that the Ecnec meeting discussed the launching of the much-hyped metro rail (Line-6) likely on 16 December this year with an aim to ease the traffic congestion in the capital.

Initially, he said, the metro rail will operate from Uttara to Agargaon as the work on the 11.73km Diabari-Agargaon portion is nearing completion.

The other projects approved in the meeting are upgrading Hathazari to Raozan portion of Chattogram-Rangamati national highway into four-lane with Tk104.69 crore, upgrading Itakhola-Mothkhola-Katiadi Road and Noyapara-Araihazar-Narsingdi-Raipura regional highway with Tk984.85 crore, Construction of Pipeline from Dhonua to Mymensingh for ensuring gas supply to Mymensingh Combined Cycle Power Plant with Tk553.16 crore.

The remaining projects approved in the meeting are Population-based uterine and breast cancer screening Programme (EPCBCSP) including electronic data tracking, 2nd revised with an additional cost of Tk129.67 crore, Protecting Khagrachhari town and adjacent infrastructures from river erosion with Tk586.01 crore, Upazila Governance and Development Project( 2nd revised) with an additional cost of Tk211.50 crore and Greater Dinajpur rural infrastructures development project with Tk1,800 crore.