World Bank to give loan for Dhaka’s beautification

World Bank will give loan for a project titled ‘Beautification of Dhaka’ and the fund will be spent on freeing rivers around Dhaka from grabbers and make the city more livable.

Finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal disclosed the matter to newsmen at the secretariat on Sunday following a meeting with the visiting World Bank vice president for the south Asia region Martin Raiser.

Finance secretary Fatima Yasmin, Economic Relations Division (ERD) secretary Sharifa Khan, incoming World Bank country director of Bangladesh and Bhutan Abdoulaye Seck, regional director Guangzhe Chen and outgoing country director Mercy Tembon were present at the meeting.

The finance minister told newsmen that the feasibility study of the project named ‘Beautification of Dhaka’ has ended. The project would be implemented in several phases.

The rivers around Dhaka would be freed from illegal grabbers and the city would be made livable through the project, said the finance minister.

Bangladesh sought the loan during the annual meeting of World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) held in Washington last month.

Bangladesh also sought technical assistance for formulation of investment agenda of the project.

World Bank vice president for the south Asia region Martin Raiser reached Dhaka on a three-day visit on Saturday.

He would hold meetings with prime minister Sheikh Hasina and other government high-ups. He is also supposed to inspect some projects being implemented in World Bank’s funding.