POBNEWS24, Dhaka June 25, 2022 : ‘Today the south door is open— / Come on ….’ This song was written by Rabindranath Tagore 112 years ago.
Today, on the morning of June 25, 2022, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is going to inaugurate the Padma Multipurpose Bridge. He will unveil the inaugural plaque at the end of his address at the Sudhi rally at the end of Mawa. This will open up endless doors of connection, communication and potential for the 19 districts of the south and south-west with the capital Dhaka and other parts of the country.
In the words of Rabindranath, this auspicious moment of the beginning of the journey of economic development, improvement of living standard, can be celebrated with ‘… Bajaye desperate benu mekhe pialful polu’. And while we remember that the construction cost of this bridge did not come from any development partner, this bridge has been built with Bangladesh’s own funds, in the sense of sweating the heads and feet of farmers-workers-countrymen-expatriates; Then I can sing Rabindranath’s song: Come to the land of mad air with a soft sweet smile, / You fly your hot north in the sky— / Come, come, come, come … Today the south door is open— / Come, come.
This is because this bridge is not just an installation, it is a shining proof of Bangladesh’s self-esteem, ability and capability.
This bridge is 6.15 km long. Jazira from Mawa. The Padma Bridge will connect roads, railways, gas and electricity to the north and south. With the huge construction work, there are connecting roads, railways, river governance, rehabilitation, protection of environment and biodiversity — various projects and activities.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told a press conference on June 22 that the project cost of the Padma Bridge is Tk 30,193.39 crore. Till June 21, 26 thousand 732 crore 8 lakh taka has been spent.
This money was given by the people of Bangladesh. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s speech on March 7 can be quoted as saying, “We cannot keep 70 million people under pressure.”
The benefits of building the Padma Bridge will come in many ways, it will make a huge contribution to the economy of Bangladesh. Opportunities will be created to connect with TransAsian Highways and TransAsian Railways. India, Bhutan and Nepal will have close communication with this country. Mongla port will be the nearest seaport to the capital. According to a survey, the Padma Bridge will increase GDP (gross domestic product) by 1.23 percent. The GDP of the south-west will increase by 2.3 percent. This hope is based on the difference in the quality of life of the people of North Bengal before and after the Bangabandhu Jamuna Bridge.
In 1999, the Awami League government started a pre-feasibility study of the Padma Bridge. The feasibility was then verified, the project was DPP (Development Project Proposal), but work did not begin. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told a press conference on June 22 that the Awami League government came to power in 2009 and added the Padma Bridge to its priority list.
Between April and June 2011, loan agreements were signed with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), JICA and Islamic Development Bank (IDB) for financing the Padma Bridge project. Later, the World Bank stopped funding, alleging corruption. The rest of the donor agencies also lagged behind. At that time, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced in Parliament that Bangladesh would build the dream Padma Bridge on its own. Development partners are told they do not need funding.
The main work of the bridge started towards the end of 2014. Many experts, technologists, institutions, artisans and thousands of workers have worked day and night to implement this bridge. Local experts like Jamilur Reza Chowdhury, M Shamim Z Basunia, Ainun Nishat, AMM Safiullah, M Firoz Ahmed have always given advice and have not given a shit about quality. Rehabilitation work, environmental protection or afforestation work has also been world class. The impact of the global Kovid epidemic has not slowed down. Other officials including the director of this project have also shown their skills and qualifications.
However, there were many engineering challenges. After the Amazon, the world’s fastest flowing rivers have been plagued by new problems. In order to build a bridge with an earthquake, it has been difficult to install the largest bearing in the world. The world’s largest hammer has been used on the Padma Bridge.
Thousands of Bangladeshi workers and artisans have worked hard. The Bangladesh Army was also involved. Craftsmen and experts from different countries including China have also worked. Chinese and Bangladeshi workers in Padmapar also learned each other’s language while working together.
Kola Kola means big brother, Titi means little brother, Bengalis learned to use Chinese words. Similarly, Chinese engineers also used to cultivate spinach and spinach in their habitat. Fearless, the Bangladeshi workers descended into a dark well hundreds of feet deep in the river.
Most of them have left. The bridge authority has understood the bridge from the Chinese contractor.
Today, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina will unveil the inaugural plaque, it will open a golden southern door of our development, progress, communication, confidence, will show the eternal horizon of hope. That song of World Cup cricket also seems to be sung today: and the world does not know Bangladesh this time.
