Govt team leaves for Manila today to discuss $17.6m loan

FE Team | Published: November 04, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

FE Report
A government delegation will leave for Manila today (Sunday) to negotiate a US$ 17.6 million loan to be provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for preparing the detailed design of the proposed Padma bridge, official sources said.
The negotiations will take place on November 8 and 9 at the ADB's headquarters in Manila. Besides, on November 6 and 7, the Bangladesh team will discuss another loan for the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) to improve the water supply system in the capital.
Sources said the government team include a joint secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD), representatives from communications ministry, Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Authority (JMBA), local government and rural development ministry and Dhaka WASA.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Division and the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) last week waived a part of the public procurement regulations (PPR) to enable the ADB appoint a consulting firm which would prepare the detailed design of the Padma bridge project.
An ERD official said they have to produce the PPR waiver documents to the ADB during the negotiations.
As per PPR, only the government and its agencies are allowed to procure goods and hire services (consultant) through the use of any public funds, including loan. But if any donor wants to procure goods or consultancy services against their loan for any development work in Bangladesh, the government could give waiver of the PPR by taking approval of the Cabinet Division and the IMED.
The Manila-based donor requested the government to waive certain provisions of the PPR to facilitate appointment of a consultant.
After completion of the detailed design, the construction work of the Tk 101.6175 billion ($1.46 billion) Padma Bridge at Mawa - Jangira point will commence.
According to sources in the communications ministry, the ADB has already short-listed six consulting firms from whom one will be finally selected for the job.
They said if the negotiations for the $17.6 million credit are completed in the meeting with ADB scheduled for November 8-9, the government is expected to sign the loan agreement early next month.
The work on the detailed design for the bridge project is expected to start from March next year and would be completed by February 2010.
The consultant will prepare the detailed design of the project that would include river training and environmental aspects, the sources added.
The 5.558 kilometre bridge will have provisions for two-lane roads each way with a railway track running through the middle of the bridge, the ministry sources said.