Staff Correspondent, NewAge, June 5, 2009
Development partners have assured the government of immediate disbursement of $13 million as grants for repairing dams, cross-dams and embankments in the cyclone Aila-ravaged coastal districts, official sources said.
The assurance came in an inter-ministerial meeting with development partners at the Planning Commission on Thursday.
‘Three donors – World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency — have assured the government that they would disburse the amount immediately,’ said a senior official of the Economic Relation Division on Thursday after the meeting.
The official also said the development partners would not curtail the existing development project amounts because of this fresh assistance.
Sources said the prime minister’s economic affairs adviser, Mashiur Rahman, presided over the meeting on the possible strategies for mitigating the impact of Cyclone ‘Aila’. The World Bank country director, Xian Zhu, ADB country director Paul J Heytens, JICA representatives and high officials of the water resources ministry also attended the meeting.
‘The government has sought fund from the development partners what will be immediately needed for repairs to the damaged dams and embankments,’ Mashiur Rahman told the meeting.
He also said the long-term and medium-term assistance would be decided in the several consultation meetings with the water resources ministry.
The meeting sources said the water resources ministry would a hold a meeting with the development partners on Saturday at the secretariat on the long and medium-term assistance for the Aila-affected country’s south-western coast areas.
According to the meeting, the Water Development Board would need $62.46 million for repairing the water-related infrastructure but the board urgent needs $16.86 million.
Meanwhile, the finance ministry has already disbursed Tk 116 crore for the Aila-affected areas. Of the amount, Tk 41 crore is meant for repairing the dams and embankments while the rest will be used for food for work programme in.
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