A bridge over the mighty Padma river was dreamt of a decade and a half ago. The goal was to establish a direct roadway between the capital and the southern districts of Bangladesh.
Published : 12 Dec 2015, 12:40 PM
River training works for Padma bridge start
Hasina to launch ambitious Padma Bridge construction Saturday
The first step towards turning that dream into a reality has been taken. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has inaugurated the construction of the 6.15 km multipurpose bridge’s main structure.
On Saturday, she first launched the river training works at Shariatpur’s Jajira and then kicked off construction of the bridge at Munshiganj’s Mawa.
The pilling work of the bridge’s seventh out of the 42 pillars started right after the inauguration ceremony at Mawa.
The prime minister hopes the Tk 230 billion bridge, planned to carry a railroad as well, will be ready within three years.
At a rally at Jajira, she said she would prove with the project that Bangladesh does not always need foreign assistance for big projects.
“I wanted to show them that we too can do it … Our day has arrived.”
Referring to the ‘false allegations’ of the World Bank and other hurdles that got in the way of constructing this ‘dream bridge’, Hasina said the Bengalees have never bowed to anyone, nor will they in future.
“About us the Father of the Nation had said, ‘Nobody can suppress us’. We have proved that again today.”
The bridge will connect 21 southern districts with Dhaka and the country’s eastern region.
According to government estimates, Bangladesh's GDP will increase by 1.23 percent and the poverty rate will drop by 0.84 percent once the bridge becomes operational.
Seeking everyone’s cooperation for the project, Sheikh Hasina said, “No country can develop solely on its own. Regional cooperation is required [for that].”
She said the bridge will not only improve the lives of people living in the southern region, but will boost regional connectivity altogether.
The Padma bridge will also connect Bangladesh with the proposed Trans-Asian Highway and International Communication Network, Hasina said on Saturday.
The project was originally initiated in 1998 when the Awami League was in power, but it went into limbo when the party lost the general election in 2001.
When the party returned to power in 2009, it revived the initiative.
An investigation by the Anti Corruption Commission found no evidence to prove the World Bank’s accusations.
Sheikh Hasina remained steadfast and announced that Bangladesh would go ahead with the project using its own resources.
In 2014, China's Major Bridge Engineering Company Ltd and Sinohydro Corporation Ltd were awarded the contracts for the construction of the main bridge and the river training work.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader recently said that almost 27 percent of the total work had already been completed.
He said a four-lane highway from Postogola to Mawa and a 13 km flyover from Bijoynagar to the Dhaka-Mawa road will be constructed to ease communication between Dhaka and the Padma bridge.
The government also has plans for another four-lane highway from Jajira to Kuakata via Khulna and Benapole, he said.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim, State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid Bipu, Bangladesh Army chief Lt Gen Abu Belal Mohammad Shafiul Huq, Inspector General of Police Shahidul Hoque and the local MPs were also present.