ECNEC approves Rabindra University permanent campus project

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved the long-awaited project for the construction of the permanent campus of Rabindra University in Shahjadpur, Sirajganj. The decision was made during the ECNEC meeting held on Sunday at the Planning Commission’s NEC conference room in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka.

Rabindra University Bangladesh, established nearly nine years ago on 225 acres of land steeped in the legacy of Rabindranath Tagore, has been operating from rented buildings since its inception. Despite its foundation in 2016 and the start of academic activities in April 2018, the university’s permanent campus had yet to be built—prompting student protests since July 26 demanding immediate action.

Currently, the university hosts around 1,200 students across five departments, functioning in eight rented buildings scattered throughout Shahjadpur municipal town for the past seven years.

The ECNEC meeting, chaired by Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus, also approved a total of 11 development projects amounting to Tk 9,361.92 crore. Of this, Tk 6,677 crore will be funded by the government, Tk 2,428.04 crore through project loans, and Tk 256.89 crore from institutional funding.

Several other significant projects cleared at the meeting include the Ministry of Agriculture’s sustainable agriculture development initiative in the Rangpur region, the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources’ modernization of 33/11 kV outdoor substations in industrial zones, and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s establishment of burn and plastic surgery units in five medical college hospitals.

Projects for multi-storey residential flats for government employees in Dhaka’s Azimpur colony, residential buildings for Fire Service and Civil Defence personnel, and environmentally sustainable water supply in Dhaka were also approved.

The meeting was attended by key advisers including Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud, Law and Expatriate Welfare Adviser Dr. Asif Nazrul, Home and Agriculture Adviser Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Industry and Housing Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, and others.