Bangladesh to approve proposal for new road to Myanmar

Bangladesh's economic policy-making body is all set to approve a proposal for constructing a new road to Myanmar, aimed at boosting bilateral trade, an official said Monday.

A Planning Ministry official who did not like to be named said the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council will likely approve the proposal on Tuesday in a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The 540 million taka (about 7 million U.S. dollars) proposed new road will pass through Bangladesh's two southeastern hilly districts - Cox's Bazaar, some 292 km away from capital Dhaka, and Bandarban, some 316 km southeast of the capital city - which border Myanmar to the country's east.

He said that in April this year the project for constructing the new road was finalized.

The proposed road aims at Bangladesh's plan to develop bilateral trade with Myanmar as well as develop road connectivity with China and other nations in Southeast Asia, he added.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of June 2017.