More land for Padma Bridge to be acquired

Munima Sultana | Published: January 23, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

The government is required to acquire more land for the Padma Bridge Project than the approved land resettlement plan for the protection and maintenance of the country's most expensive bridge.
Officials said the new land is required to set up a ground for storing machines and tools for regular maintenance of the two-tier bridge.
They said the maintenance site which was not included in the bridge's main design is planned to ensure smooth functioning of the country's longest and state-of-the-art bridge.
However, sources said more land for the project may be necessary to meet the demand of the Armed Force as it plans to set up cantonment on both sides of the river.
The Bangladesh Army which has already announced formation of 99 composite brigade since the Padma Bridge was declared a KPI zone has requested the BBA to provide land from the US $ 3 billionÂ Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project.
The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA), the executing agency of the project, has so far acquired 1,103 hectares of land on both sides for constructing the 6.15 km bridge. The bridge is planned to have four-lane road on its top and railway below for which a wide area is necessary on both sides of the river for constructing approach roads and service areas. Â
The vast tract of land was required also for rehabilitation of the affected people.
Two construction yards were also set up at Mawa and Janjira sides of the river for which land was acquired to carry out construction of the bridge, slabs, truss like materials for the main bridge and storing valuable machinery and equipments.
The BBA, however, is yet to ascertain the total size of land to be required at this stage.
The officials said a committee has been formed to recommend in this regard.
They said it has already been decided to acquire the land for the two construction yards. Besides, the BBA is considering setting up of a harbour beyond the construction yard to load and unload different kinds of materials and equipments.
If the land for construction yards' is acquired, the BBA will have to revise its resettlement plan to transform 80 hectares of land at Mawa side and 120 hectares at Jajira point of the river into the bridge's maintenance sites.
However, the army has formally sought around 700 acres of land from the project area to set up the brigade which is also under review by the committee, sources said.