Co-financiers' meet on Padma Bridge project begins
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Munima Sultana
A three-day meeting of co-financing monitoring committee on the US $ 2.4 billion Padma multi-purpose bridge project began here Monday focusing on mainly crucial river training work (RTW).
Officials said there was a briefing on RTW design on the first day of the meeting of the joint mission with participation of representatives from the government and development partners including World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperating Agency and Islamic Development Bank.
They said the RTW consultant and the panel of experts (POE) briefed the meeting on various technical and engineering aspects of the design.
The officials hinted that the meeting supported the government-suggested option of bridge design that aims to check river erosion and ensure water flow under the bridge for 100 years.
"The POE, which had differences with the RTW consultants on various sides of the design, has now agreed to start detailed design of the RTW," said one official who attended the meeting.
The POE had some reservations in accepting RTW as it found the design lacking enough focus on the resettlement and land acquisition issues. It sat with the consultant over the last three days but could not reach an agreement.
Sources said the POE had wanted the government-suggested RTW option ensure acquiring of more land and resettlement of more people from some chars as the river might devour the lands in the future.
They said the main point of difference with the POE was the erosion of a char in Arial Kha where more than 0.20 million people live as the design did cover the aspect.
The RTW consultant NHC, which is assigned the RTW in consortium with the lead firm Maunsell AECOM, proposed an option recommending construction of 11km revetment along the river bank of Jajira with 4km hard points at Mawa. Other option suggested by the POE was to construct guide with two hard points at Jajira and four km of revetment.
Although the POE refrained from making any comment on the RTW design, the officials said the government decision is final
"The POE's task is to guide and advise the authority on different aspects of the project to project implementing agency -- Bangladesh Bridge Authority --,.but the decision must be taken by the government," said a top official.
The visiting members of joint mission comprising only donors did not make any comment on the RTW but assigned an individual consultant to review socio-environmental aspect of the Padma project. The mission will continue its meeting with bridge authority on Tuesday to discuss and review other issues including funding arrangement of the project, the cost of which escalated US$2.4 billion from $ 1.8 billion.
According to interim design, the Padma multipurpose bridge will be 6.15 km in length and 21.10 metre in width with a four-lane road on the top and a broad-gauge rail lane below. It has plan to have 150 spans with four-km approach road at Mawa and 12km other side.
A three-day meeting of co-financing monitoring committee on the US $ 2.4 billion Padma multi-purpose bridge project began here Monday focusing on mainly crucial river training work (RTW).
Officials said there was a briefing on RTW design on the first day of the meeting of the joint mission with participation of representatives from the government and development partners including World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperating Agency and Islamic Development Bank.
They said the RTW consultant and the panel of experts (POE) briefed the meeting on various technical and engineering aspects of the design.
The officials hinted that the meeting supported the government-suggested option of bridge design that aims to check river erosion and ensure water flow under the bridge for 100 years.
"The POE, which had differences with the RTW consultants on various sides of the design, has now agreed to start detailed design of the RTW," said one official who attended the meeting.
The POE had some reservations in accepting RTW as it found the design lacking enough focus on the resettlement and land acquisition issues. It sat with the consultant over the last three days but could not reach an agreement.
Sources said the POE had wanted the government-suggested RTW option ensure acquiring of more land and resettlement of more people from some chars as the river might devour the lands in the future.
They said the main point of difference with the POE was the erosion of a char in Arial Kha where more than 0.20 million people live as the design did cover the aspect.
The RTW consultant NHC, which is assigned the RTW in consortium with the lead firm Maunsell AECOM, proposed an option recommending construction of 11km revetment along the river bank of Jajira with 4km hard points at Mawa. Other option suggested by the POE was to construct guide with two hard points at Jajira and four km of revetment.
Although the POE refrained from making any comment on the RTW design, the officials said the government decision is final
"The POE's task is to guide and advise the authority on different aspects of the project to project implementing agency -- Bangladesh Bridge Authority --,.but the decision must be taken by the government," said a top official.
The visiting members of joint mission comprising only donors did not make any comment on the RTW but assigned an individual consultant to review socio-environmental aspect of the Padma project. The mission will continue its meeting with bridge authority on Tuesday to discuss and review other issues including funding arrangement of the project, the cost of which escalated US$2.4 billion from $ 1.8 billion.
According to interim design, the Padma multipurpose bridge will be 6.15 km in length and 21.10 metre in width with a four-lane road on the top and a broad-gauge rail lane below. It has plan to have 150 spans with four-km approach road at Mawa and 12km other side.