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Roundup: Bangladeshi PM inaugurates construction of mega Padma Bridge

Xinhua, December 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday inaugurated the main works of the country's biggest Padma Bridge project by unveiling its foundation plaque.

The ceremony was held along the bank of river Padma in Munshganj on the outskirts of capital Dhaka on Saturday morning.

Prior to the inauguration of the main bridge's construction works, she unveiled the plaque of the river training works, the second most costly component of the 3-billion-U.S. dollar project conducted by one of the largest international companies -- Sinohydro Corporation Limited.

Hasina expressed her deep satisfaction over the project, the implementation of which has suffered a huge setback after the World Bank canceled a 1.2-billion-dollar loan over graft allegations.

Referring to the "false allegations" of the Washington-based lender that dealt a blow to the country's "dream bridge project," Hasina said the bank could not show any evidence in support of their corruption allegations which came before it provided any money for the project.

"We were committed to going ahead with the project to show them that we too can do it ... The day is here for us. We are doing this with our own fund."

Hasina said the bridge will shorten travel time between capital Dhaka and the country's southern region, boosting entire trade and economic activities.

It would also help Bangladesh to be connected with the proposed Asian Highway and Trans-Asian Railway.

"Neighboring countries could use our seaports as the bridge will pave the way for better regional connectivity."

Experts say the bridge when it comes into operation in 2018 will ease pressure on the country's premier seaport in Chittagong, some 242 km southeast of capital Dhaka, as it will bolster the second largest Mongla seaport in Bagerhat district, some 178 km southwest of the capital city.

In June last year, the Bangladeshi government awarded China Major Bridge Engineering Company Limited a 1.55-billion-U.S. dollar contract to build core structure of the Padma Bridge project which is to be completed in four years.

The government on June 26 last year floated international bids for the construction of the stalled project.

The government's high-level expert committee had then recommended that the contract be handed to the Chinese company, which had earlier constructed a 36-km Hangzhou Bay Bridge, the longest sea-crossing bridge in the world.

The Bangladeshi government has signed a 1.13 billion U.S. dollar deal with Beijing-based Sinohydro Corporation Limited

which has currently some 500 international projects under construction in more than 70 countries with a total contract value of approximately 42 billion U.S. dollars.

The proposed 25-meter-wide and 10-km-long bridge will be built over Padma River, one of the three major rivers in Bangladesh.

About 6.15 km of the bridge will be built over the river while the remaining part on both banks.

Apart from connecting nearly 30 million people in Bangladesh's southwest region to the rest of the country, the bridge will enhance regional trade and collaboration along the Asian highway No.1 and the Trans-Asian railway network.

The bridge is among the six projects that are under direct supervision of the Fast Track Project Monitoring Committee headed by Hasina. Endit