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WB's green light to Padma Bridge

Project to gather pace finally

M Abul Kalam Azad
The World Bank has finally given the go ahead for the Padma bridge construction tender process with five pre-qualified firms, communications ministry officials said.
The government sent documents of the five pre-qualified firms for the bridge construction job to the World Bank headquarters in Washington in January. The lead financier gave the nod on Monday.
“Now the project activities will get pace,” said Bridge Division Secretary
Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, then in Washington.
He said the pre-qualified firms have been asked to collect bid documents and submit technical proposals.
“They will place financial offers on completion of the technical qualification process, which will take at least two months,” the secretary toldThe Daily Star.
He said the remaining procedures would be completed in five months so that contract with the winning firm can be
signed in January, 2012.
The WB is yet to give assent to the 12km river training component of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project. Prequalification documents for this have been sent to the bank in December 2010. The secretary said they are expecting the WB's consent in this regard very soon.
Since sending the prequalification documents, the communications ministry has been making requests to the bank for its consent. Delays at the bank have ultimately hindering the firm selection process.
The government initially said it would complete the bridge by 2013. Now its target is 2015.
Bridge Division sources said even though the main bridge construction and river training components are being delayed, activities like land acquisition, compensating and rehabilitating the affected people and socio-economic infrastructure development in the project areas are going on in full swing.
The government already signed deals of $1.2 billion with the WB, $615 million with Asian Development Bank, $400 million with Japan International Cooperation Agency and $140 million with Islamic Development Bank to arrange funds for the $2.9 billion Padma Multipurpose Bridge project, the country's longest bridge.
The 6.15km bridge with 3.68km land-based approach viaducts on both sides of the river will connect 19 south-western districts and the capital, enhancing their access to markets, improving services and acceleratinggrowth.
The bridge will reduce distances to Dhaka by about 100km and halve travel times from most areas in the southwest. Moreover, the bridge will enhance regional trade by linking with the Asian Highway and TransAsian railway network systems.
It will also connect the two major seaports in Bangladesh and the river training work will help control river erosion and flooding.