Railway minister terms Muhith \\\'prime minister\\\'

Railways Minister Md Mazibul Hoque has termed Finance Minister AMA Muhith as ‘prime minister’ at a programme in Dhaka. Hoque was speaking in English while addressing the Centennial Celebration of Hardinge Bridge. The railways minister termed Muhith, the chief guest of the programme, ‘prime minister’ while reading out the name of the guests. He also mixed up programme chairman Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury’s name, referring him as ‘Ali Reza Choudhury’, according to bdnews24.com.
The centenary of the country’s largest steel railway bridge ‘Hardinge Bridge’, built over Padma at Paksey point in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna in 1915, was celebrated in Dhaka on Saturday. International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) and Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE) jointly organised the programme. Finance Minister Muhith and Railways Minister Hoque spoke at the function held with Prof Dr Jamilur Reza Choudhury in the chair. Addressing the programme, Muhith said it is now possible to build bridges almost anywhere with the development of new technology and cement. “Today, we’re grateful to engineer Robert Gailes (British) who worked for the bridge which is now 100-year old,” he added. Hoque said the government under the leadership of Shiekh Hasina, gives the highest importance to the development of railways.
The physical work of the 1.8-km Hardinge Bridge had started in 1909 and it was completed in 1915, the year the First World War ended in Europe. Hoque said the bridge was partially damaged by Pakistani occupation forces during the 1971 Liberation War, but Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took initiatives to reopen it. Professor Dr K Nogami of Tokyo Metropolitan University also spoke at the function, attended by delegates from various countries. The bridge, runs between the railways stations Bheramara in Kushtia and Paksey in Pabna, was named for Viceroy of India, Lord Hardinge.
- biplab