The assurance came when a delegation of the WB led by its Country Director Christine I Wallich called on LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan at his Secretariat office yesterday.

The delegation also showed keen interest to provide assistance for construction of eastern by-pass and urbanisation of the eastern parts of Dhaka to ensure different facilities to the people living in those areas.

Meanwhile, the British Department For International Development (DFID) will give Bangladesh Tk 360 crore for post-flood road communication repairs and maintenance under periodic maintenance programme of the Roads & and Highways Department, according to the UNB.

The DFID also agreed to provide Tk 39 crore more as an initial support for another post-flood emergency road communication restoration programme.

This was revealed during a meeting of the five-member transport mission team of the DFID, led by Terry J Lawrence, with Communications Minister Nazmul Huda at his ministry yesterday.

The minister told the team the government has decided to expand and modernise road communications among all the districts of the country to strengthen national economic activities and alleviate rural poverty.

The delegation assured the minister of help in implementing the government's post-flood rehabilitation programme.