The Padma bridge across the river of the same name in Bangladesh will be inaugurated by Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina today. According to reports by local news outlet The Daily Star, ‘thousands have started joining a mammoth rally since early morning…’ and the gathering wears a ‘festive look… with colourful banners… singing songs and dancing’.
A statement by prime minister Hasina’s office said she will arrive at the Mawa end of the Padma bridge – travelling from the old airport at Tejgaon – at 10 am. Around 3,000 eminent people have been invited to the inauguration, the Daily Star report said.
India has offered its congratulations to Bangladesh on the completion of the Padma bridge, which spans one of the Ganga’s tributaries, calling it a ground-breaking project.
Here are some details about the Padma bridge:
> The bridge will connect 19 districts Bangladesh’s southwestern region with capital Dhaka and other parts of the country.
> The bridge will also reduce travel time between Dhaka and Kolkata in India by almost half. A report by news agency PTI said rail travel time will be cut sharply thanks to a tracks being built on the lower level of the Padma bridge.
> The 6.15-km-long, road-rail, four-lane bridge built over the Padma river has been fully funded by the Bangladeshi government and has been constructed at a cost of Taka 30,193.6 crore (USD 3.6 billion).
> The bridge was fully funded by the government after the World Bank refused to provide loans, citing corruption, on alleged instigation of Mohammad Younus, a Nobel laureate economist having pro-opposition leanings and strong critic of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
> The bridge was built by the Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group (RMBEG) of China and, in a bid to influence people, the Chinese government claimed the Padma bridge as part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), news agency ANI said. However, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry hit back Friday, denying links to the BRI and stressing no foreign funds had been used.