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Funding Padma Bridge

WB to inform decision by this month

Rejaul Karim Byron
The World Bank will notify Bangladesh this month whether it will lift the suspension of its fund for the Padma Multipurpose Bridge construction.
World Bank Country Director Ellen Goldstein yesterday informed Finance Minister AMA Muhith about the outcome of her discussions with the bank's high officials in Washington. The discussions were on the government's recent steps regarding graft allegation in the bridge project.
After meeting the finance minister yesterday afternoon, Ellen Goldstein told The Daily Star yesterday evening via email, “Good governance and transparency are of paramount importance for the World Bank in imple mentation of the Padma Bridge. We are still in discussions with the government on whether this can be ensured, and I would expect a decision before end-January on whether to proceed.
“Today's meeting with the finance minister was to brief him on my visit to Washington and seek his views on the way forward," she added.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith told reporters last evening that the fund release was awaiting the World Bank president's decision following recent changes the government has made in the management of the Padma Bridge project implementation.
He too said that the government expects the bank's decision within this month.
However, he told reporters, "There is no scope to talk more on this now.”
Ellen Goldstein went to Washington last month and returned to Dhaka on TYiesday. In Washington, she held meetings with the high officials of the bank about the government's recent steps regarding implementation of the Padma Bridge project. A finance ministry official said Goldstein also held a meeting with Economic Relations Division Secretary Iqbal Mahmud upon her return to Dhaka.
In September, the bank made allegations of corruption against former communications minister Syed Abul Hossain and his family business Sahco and suspended the fund for the Padma Bridge.
The bank was supposed to provide $1.2 billion of the $2.9 billion earmarked for the project.
Later, the government moved Abul Hossain to another ministry from the communications ministry. It also changed the director of the Padma Bridge project.
The finance ministry official said even though the changes had already been made, the bank would only lift the suspension of fund when it was sure that the fund would be used properly and there would be no scope for corruption.
Yesterday the finance minister said the World Bank president was out on holiday. He would return to work in a couple of days and then he might decide on the fund.
The finance minister said five pre-qualified bidders were finally selected for construction of the main bridge. The bank had even approved the selection but later the fund got suspended.
Muhith said the government proposed to start the work from this stage since
there had been no allegations of corruption with the selection of pre-qualified bidders.
He said if the bank gave the nod, the government would seek final proposals from the pre-qualified bidders.
The finance minister said the work of the main bridge could not be started in this dry season, adding that the government wanted to start the work in the next dry season.
Muhith said the Canadian government was investigating whether any graft had taken place in the process of appointing a consultant firm for supervising the bridge construction. He said the World Bank hoped that the Canadian government would submit its probe report to the bank this month.
Muhith said delays in appointing a consultant firm would not be a problem as the government wanted to appoint the contractor for the main bridge first and had made a proposal to the bank to this effect.
The Anti-Corruption Commission too has been investigating allegations of graft in the Padma Bridge project and will submit its report within a week to the government and the World Bank, the finance minister said.