Padma Bridge materialises dream of 3 crores people

Both of the treasury bench and opposition lawmakers have said construction of the multipurpose Padma bridge has materialised the dream of 3 crore people of the South-West region of the country as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to open the bridge on June 25.

Construction of the much expected multipurpose bridge has been possible due to the earne efforts of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and self finance of the government, they said while participating in the discussion held in the Jatiya Sangsad here Wednesday (8 June) afternoon.

Earlier, Chief Whip Nur-e Alam Chowdhury raised the proposal of general discussion on the Padma Bridge to congratulate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina under section 147 (1) of the rules of procedure of the Jatiya Sangsad with Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the Chair.

Taking part in the discussion, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq said, “ The bridge has been constructed exclusively with the effort of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and it has fulfilled the dream of 3 crore people of the South-Western region.”

Congratulating Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim said the opening of the bridge will eliminate regional discrimination of the country.

Terming construction of the bridge as a big challenge in the history, ruling party leader Abul Hasant Abdullah said the construction of the bridge with a cost of Taka 30,190 crore was a big challenging project implemented by the Prime Minister.

“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will remain immortal due to materialisation of the dreaming Padma Bridge,” said opposition Jatiya Party lawmaker Kazi Feroz Rashid. Many Mughal Emperors came to rule, but Emperor Shahjahan is remembered forever in the history for his outstanding construction of ‘Taj Mahal’, he told the parliament.

Terming the bridge as an ‘Iconic structure’, Lt. Colonel (retd) Muhammad Faruque Khan, MP, of Gopalganj-1 said the construction of 6.15 km long and 18.15 meter width bridge will raise country’s GDP from 1.3 to 2 percent annually. The bridge will help to expand country’s connectivity with Trans Asian Highway and Trans Asian Railway, he added.

Lauding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, senior ruling party leader Tofail Ahmed said the Padma Bridge is the second largest bridge in the world and it is the pride of the nation, saying that “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has upheld her courage through constructing the bridge.”

Participating in the discussion, ruling party lawmaker Matia Chowdhury said BNP had no intention to develop the country except to earn money.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, in his address, said that construction of the Padma Bridge has taken a revenge of insulting Banglaee nation by the International community including the World Bank. He thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for taking a revenge with the construction of the bridge.

He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had endured a lot of negative remarks for construction of the bridge. “ So the bridge should be named after Sheikh Hasina and it would be a real way of expressing gratefulness to her,” he proposed in the parliament.

“The so called conspiracy designed by a vested quarter against construction of Padma Bridge was nothing but to harass the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” said Amir Hossain Amu, MP, of Jhalakhathi-2.

The bridge which would connect twenty-one south-western districts with the capital will make coordination between the Blue economy and the hilly economy, said Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal lawmaker Hasanul Huq Inu of Khustia-2.

BNP-Jamaat alliance had ruled the country for many years, but they even didn’t make a bridge on a river, JASOD President said, adding that even the alliance did not hear the name of three or four-lane.

“The multi-purpose Padma Bridge will create employment of around 5 crore people directly and indirectly by 2030,” said another Opposition lawmaker Fakhrul Imam of Mymensingh-8.

Criticizing the BNP-Jamaat alliance, Bangladesh Tarikat Federation lawmaker Syed Nazibul Bashar Maizbandari of Chattogram-2 said, “We now feel proud as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has done an unprecedented work by constructing the Padma Bridge defeating conspiracies designed by BNP-Jammat and Dr Younus.”

The pre-feasibility test of building the Padma Bridge was conducted in 1999 by the Awami League government. On 4 July 2001, the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Padma Bridge.

After a detailed study, the Japanese donor agency JICA recommended the construction of the Padma Bridge at the Mawa-Jazira end in 2004.

The bridge project hit a snag as the World Bank in 2012 cancelled its $1.2 billion credit, saying it had evidence of a corruption conspiracy involving Bangladeshi officials, executives of a Canadian firm and individuals.

Construction work of the main bridge began in November 2014. According to the bridge department, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction of the main bridge on 12 December 2015.

The first span of the Padma Bridge was installed in 2017. It took about three years and two months to install the remaining 40 spans.