WB offered new role in Padma bridge project

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Munima Sultana
The government has decided not to select the World Bank as the lead donor for the Padma multipurpose bridge project and requested the lending agency to play a coordinator's role in the project to avoid conflicts with other development partners.
The Economic Relations Division (ERD) issued a letter to the World Bank Monday with the request. It also highlighted the contributions of other development partners including Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan International Cooperating Agency (JICA) to the country's mega project.
Officials of the communications ministry and the ERD said though the multilateral lending agency's commitment to the
US$ 2.4 billion bridge project was so far the highest, the government took the decision following objections from other development partners.
"Major development partners contributing to construction of the Padma Bridge have voiced objections to selection of a lead donor, as none of their contribution is considered ignorable," said a senior official preferring anonymity To avoid such a hassle and ensure the government's major role in implementing the Padma Bridge project, the government decided to have the World Bank as a coordinating development agency, he added.
The letter, signed by ERD Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan and issued to WB Country Director Ellen Goldstein, also stated contributions of the Japanese government and the ADB during conducting a feasibility study on the bridge and the technical assistance they provided to prepare its detailed design and bidding document since the project was undertaken.
The letter also highlighted the necessity of coordination between the government and the development partners as well as among development partners themselves.
"With an accelerated timetable for a complex project, coordination between the government and the development partners, and also among the development partners themselves will be essential," the secretary said, requesting the World Bank to play a coordinator's role by accepting its engagement in diverse components of the project.
"The decision was taken after a series of consultations with the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister, the Communications Minister and all development partners," the ERD secretary told the FE.
"A coordinator's role is more acceptable than that of a lead donor," he said adding that the decision would also ensure leadership and ownership of the government in the project.
Though it was reported that the government had been considering selection of either WB or ADB as the lead donor in implementation of the project, officials confirmed that the WB would be made the leader of the government's expensive project.
An official of the Bridge Division said any decision of the lead donor usually gets more importance than the others' during the time of project implementation. The main task of the coordinating development partner would be to coordinate with all partners and convey the decisions to the government, he added.
When asked, JICA chief representative Tado Takao told the FE that the decision was aimed at harmonising the role of the development partners and ensuring their equal partnership in the mega project.
For construction of the Padma bridge, ADB committed to lend $ 550 million. Of other lenders, JICA committed $ 400 million, Islamic Development Bank $ 130 million and Abu Dhabi Fund for Development $ 31.4 million. The WB projected a commitment of $400-500 million in the first phase, to be followed by two additional phases of the similar magnitude.