The external co financiers of the US dollar 700 million (approximately) Jamuna Multi-purpose Bridge, namely the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Japanese government — each footing approximately US dollar 200 million. with Bangladesh putting up about US dollar 100 million in local currency — are supposed to give final seal of approval for the project sometimes during the course of the next few days. According to the finance minister. Saihir Rahman, a Japanese expert team arrived in town yesterday to make some final enquiries and settle the issue.

There has been substantial debate on the necessity. viability, usefulness and cost-benefit of this bridge. There have been a lot of studies and numerous feasibility missions by the hardnosed financiers. All of them have come up with positive conclusions about the need and the economic viability of this vital link between the north and western districts with the rest of Bangladesh. The 4.8 km long and 18.5m wide bridge will carry a 4 lane road and have foundation for a metre gauge railway bridge (all we will need to do is put the tracks) support an electric interconnector, a gas pipeline and telecommunication facilities. In other words this one bridge will provide vital links with the other half of the country not only in road and rail (future) communication, but also in vital energy resource transmission in such areas as electricity and gas. The importance of energy transmission aspect of the bridge is almost as crucial as the road link, because it has been a long standing demand of those districts that they were being deprived of adequate supply of electricity and gas which were hindering their economic progress. Separately it has been estimated that constructing an electric interconnector across the vast expanse of the Jamuna would itself cost anywhere between US dollar 150 to 200 million. Then, consider the cost of setting up a gas pipeline, either under water or. far less practical, overhead across the mighty Jamuna. What about the cost of separately setting up telecommunication links? Taken together, these three facilities — which the government will have to build in the near future —. plus of course the road and rail links, the real cost of the now proposed multi-purpose bridge appears to be much more cost-effective.

The bottomline of the usefulness of the bridge is. of course, the economic return. And it is here, that the case for the bridge is strongest. First of all it has to be understood that there are tangible and intangible gains from the bridge, making the latter benefits difficult to quantify. Given what can be calculated, like saving the waiting time of goods carrying trucks, increased road traffic and the consequent rise in economic activities, it is estimate to have a rate of return of 15 per cent — an extremely favourable return, compared to other projects of comparable size, complexity and cost. The main argument against the bridge comes from those who talk about Improving the existing ferry system. The weakness of the ferry alternative is that it can never match the time saving element, dependability and efficiency of a 24 hour, all weather road link. Ferry will be affected by vagaries of weather and its modernisation will itself cost quite a package. And it can never carry a rail bridge, gas pipe and electric interconnector.

In addition, the construction of bridge will generate huge demand for locally produced goods which the bridge will use, not to mention business for local contractors, and employment for local labour in river training, road construction and other related works. On the intangible side, the feeling that the whole country is connected, and that one part is not being developed while the other is left behind — exactly now many people on the otherside of Jamuna feel at the moment — is not something to underestimate.

Having considered all aspects, the nation must now extend full support behind this critical project, and that a visible national consensus — regardless of whether one is in power or is in the opposition — should now be demonstrated in its favour.