PM: Padma Bridge will be finished by 2018

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has claimed that work on the much-awaited Padma Bridge would be completed by 2018, adding that work on the bridge and river training had already begun.

Addressing a ceremony at Tungipara in Gopalganj marking the inauguration of seven local development projects, the premier further said the construction of the bridge would allow development to reach the neglected areas of the region. Her government had ensured self-financing of the Padma Bridge in the face of conspiracies against the project, Hasina said, adding that the conspirators’ claims of corruption were not proved.

Without mentioning names, the prime minister said a group of people who “did not have the qualification to contest in polls” were constantly criticising the government. Terming them “the ghosts of General Yahya,” Hasina slammed the particular section of people for always trying to find faults or imperfections in government works while enjoying the benefits introduced by the Awami League.

Criticising the BNP-Jamaat alliance, she claimed that the two parties had developed militancy during their tenure and had worked to destroy all sectors of the country including food production, education, power and healthcare. The BNP-Jamaat’s attempt to use anarchy to foil the January 5 poll had been unsuccessful, the premier said.

She also mentioned the government’s plans on a project named “Palli Janapad” that would start on a pilot basis in Gopalganj and Madaripur for providing flats to the rural populace. Under the project, four-storeyed buildings would house people on the top two floors, while the lower floors would contain dairy farms and poultry farms. The project would gradually be spread across the country, the prime minister expressed hopes.

Earlier in the day, Hasina also placed wreaths at the mausoleum of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after arriving at Tungipara. Beefed up security measures were taken ahead of her arrival in the area.