Govt may request KL to bear major part of Padma cost

FE Team | Published: February 19, 2013 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Munima Sultana The government is likely to request Malaysia to fund construction of the main part of the Padma Bridge and carry out the river training work. If accepted, the move would help ease pressure on the government to mobilise an estimated fund worth US$2.9 billion for implementing the project. Officials said, negotiation on the issue will take place during meetings, scheduled for the next three days, with a Malaysian delegation, led by special envoy of the Malaysian government Seri Sami Vellu. The delegation arrives in Dhaka today (Tuesday). Sources said, Communications Minister Obaidul Quader has already talked with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the new proposal and will hold negotiation with the Malaysian delegation. The Malaysian High Commissioner confirmed in a letter to the Communications Ministry Monday the arrival of the delegation on a four-day visit. "The government wants to negotiate with the Malaysian delegation on funding worth $1.7 billion as assessed by the Bridge Division to complete the two components of the bridge project. The components are construction of the 6.15 kilometre bridge and river training work," said an official, preferring not to be named. He said, the government is unwilling to hold discussion on Malaysia's earlier proposal on the Padma Bridge project as it was not complete. The Bridge Division sources said, the proposal, which Malaysia had earlier submitted to the government in August last, could not be developed even after several email correspondence during the last six months. "There is no scope of improving the Malaysian proposal as it is imcomplete," said a senior official of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA), the executing agency of the project. Malaysia had submitted a number of proposals to the government following the signing of a memorundum of understanding on April 10, 2012. The government, however, rejected all the proposals for being expensive ones. Malaysia had placed its last revised proposal on August 28 last in which it, however, lowered the cost from $3.5 billion to $2.8 billion. But the proposal excluded some components of the project. Meanwhile, Finance Ministry and Planning Commission officials said, though efforts are being made for securing foreign funds from diffferent sources, they have been working on getting the entire fund from the government's own source. The Planning Commission has already received the Bridge Division's demand for Tk 10.08 billion. The Finance Ministry, however, is also not bringing any change in the demand raised by the project office on year-to-year basis. According to the BBA, Tk 10.08 billion was sought during the current 2012-2013 fiscal year while Tk 68 billion in the annual development programme for 2013-2014 fiscal year. The rest of the Tk 240 billion Padma bridge project fund would be demanded in equal instalments in every year until the completion of the project in 2016. The Finance Ministry, the Economic Relations Division and the Bridge Division have been continuing meetings with diffferent development partners in this regard.