Some tried to stop WB funding: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday alleged ‘foul play by vested quarters’ to stop the World Bank (WB) funding the Padma bridge project. She said the purpose of that ‘certain quarter’ was similar to violent anti-government agitations before the parliamentary election in January. ‘The (Padma bridge construction) cost shot up due to the inclusion of rail lines. The World Bank came forward when the cost rose and we went ahead to take their assistance. Later, [the vested quarters] tried to thwart [the WB financing] by raising various allegations like corruption,’ the PM added, according to a news agency.