Malaysia offers to build Padma bridge

[TopCat]

Dhaka, Jan 31 (bdnews24.com)—The Malaysian government on Tuesday officially expressed its intent to construct the Padma Bridge, which came under the spotlight after the World Bank suspended loan to finance the project.

Malaysian government's special envoy on infrastructure for India and South Asia, Dato Seri S Samy Vellu, made the offer when he called on prime minister Sheikh Hasina at her office.

Briefing journalists about the visit, PM's spokesperson Abul Kalam Azad said Malaysia's ambassador to Bangladesh Jamaluddin bin Sabeh, ambassador-at-large M Ziauddin, principal secretary Sheikh M Wahin Uz Zaman and bridge division secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam were present at the meeting with Hasina.

On Monday, communications minister Obaidul Quader had said that Kuala Lumpur has offered to invest in the construction of Padma Bridge. "We will sincerely consider the issue," he had said.

According to Quader, the agreement would be signed with Malaysia or any other country if the existing "deadlock" with the World Bank does not come to an end.

Alleging corruption, the World Bank had suspended a $1.2-billion loan to the government for the $ 2.9-billion mega-project last October.

The Anticorruption Commission is at present investigating the charges, which the government has refuted.

LOAN ACTIVATION DEADLINE

The World Bank, as well as the other donor agencies, recently extended deadline for loan activation for the Padma Bridge project by six months. The move revived hopes that the lending agency might eventually clear the fund.

After assuming office in 2009, the Awami League-led government has put highest priority to construction of the 6.15-km-long bridge across the Padma, to link the country's north with its more isolated south.

Besides World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) has pledged $610 million, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) $400 million, and Islamic Development Bank $140 million as loan for the project.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Jan 26 had hinted that her government would not take money from World Bank to implement the bridge project if the global bank fails to prove charges of corruption it had raised.

It is the country's biggest infrastructure project till date.

Malaysia offers to build Padma bridge | Bangladesh | bdnews24.com

 

[scholseys]

The chinese build their longest bridge over the sea for just 5.5 billion dollars and how come our one is costing so much?

 

[TopCat]

The chinese build their longest bridge over the sea for just 5.5 billion dollars and how come our one is costing so much?

Its a steel frame, it got both rail and road. also a significant amount of money will be used for river control

 

[DelhiDareDevil]

If a country like Malayasia can build, so don't u think Bangladesh can do it>

 

[TopCat]

If a country like Malayasia can build, so don't u think Bangladesh can do it>

Nope, we dont have 2.9 billion extra, only to throw like that.

 

[KRAIT]

If a country like Malayasia can build, so don't u think Bangladesh can do it>

Just looked at economic benefits of this bridge. Would be great if Bangladesh Bridge Authority builds it.

 

[nalandapride]

Nope, we dont have 2.9 billion extra, only to throw like that.

The Bridge is Really expensive. In Mumbai work is going on for 22km long pair of Bridges over the SEA, one bridge will have 6 lanes Expressway and other Bridge will have double lines of metro rail. Still the total cost of the project is about 2 Billion USD.

I didn't know that river bridge is this much expensive.

 

[idune]

The chinese build their longest bridge over the sea for just 5.5 billion dollars and how come our one is costing so much?

Where did you get such inflated price tag? Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is 36.48 km long and cost only $2.3 billion.
And 36-km-long Hangzhou Bay Cross-sea Bridge, the second longest sea crossing bridge cost $1.7billion.

No matter how Awami regime package their corruption and looting, 6.1 km bridge does not cost $2.9 billion.

The world's longest cross-sea bridge, spanning 36.48 kilometers across the mouth of the Jiaozhou Bay in eastern Shandong Province, opened to traffic on Thursday, four years after construction started.

The bridge, connecting urban Qingdao with the city's less-developed district of Huangdao, cost about 14.8 billion yuan (2.3 billion U.S. dollars).

World's longest cross-sea bridge opens in east China

 

[TopCat]

The Bridge is Really expensive. In Mumbai work is going on for 22km long pair of Bridges over the SEA, one bridge will have 6 lanes Expressway and other Bridge will have double lines of metro rail. Still the total cost of the project is about 2 Billion USD.

I didn't know that river bridge is this much expensive.

YOu are saying that, while you dont know our soil structure and river erosion. If you just build the bridge and leave that alone the bank of the bridge will be washed away within few years. Frequent change of river course made it very difficult for every bridge work in Bangldesh. You have to make the river to flow always in the same course i.e. throgh the bridge. Above everything, this is mighty Ganga + Bhramaputra combined waterflow should be withstood by the bridge in the monsoon. Do you know the power of the current?

 

[nalandapride]

YOu are saying that, while you dont know our soil structure and river erosion. If you just build the bridge and leave that alone the bank of the bridge will be washed away within few years. Frequent change of river course made it very difficult for every bridge work in Bangldesh. You have to make the river to flow always in the same course i.e. throgh the bridge. Above everything, this is mighty Ganga + Bhramaputra combined waterflow should be withstood by the bridge in the monsoon. Do you know the power of the current?

We are also building same type of Bridge on Brahmaputra river known as Bogibeel Bridge in Assam with Highways and Rail lines but not this much expensive.

Apart from that, 22km Mumbai Trans-harbour Sea link is being built inside sea which always face sea tide and high wind and fierce Monsoon rains in Mumbai. They are constructing two parallel bridge(one for Highway other for metro lines) but still the cost is not this much.

 

[TopCat]

We are also building same type of Bridge on Brahmaputra river known as Bogibeel Bridge in Assam with Highways and Rail lines but not this much expensive.

Apart from that, 22km Mumbai Trans-harbour Sea link is being built inside sea which always face sea tide and high wind and fierce Monsoon rains in Mumbai. They are constructing two parallel bridge(one for Highway other for metro lines) but still the cost is not this much.

Well, This is delta my friend not the Himalyan prehistoric land. The land is quite soft in this part of the river. Besides, this is not only Bhramaputra but its Bhramaputra + Ganga combined river. We already have bridge on Bhramaputra which is called Jamuna Bridge. Just google that. We also have bridges on Ganga. But this bridge is quite different in nature and quite difficult to implement.

 

[nalandapride]

Well, This is delta my friend not the Himalyan prehistoric land. The land is quite soft in this part of the river. Besides, this is not only Bhramaputra but its Bhramaputra + Ganga combined river. We already have bridge on Bhramaputra which is called Jamuna Bridge. Just google that. We also have bridges on Ganga. But this bridge is quite different in nature and quite difficult to implement.

Still 2.9 billion USD sound too much, expensive, have you heard of Chenab bridge, it will world Highest rail bridge being built in earthquake prone unstable area and cost is about 1 Billion USD.

 

[scholseys]

well the current jamai of the land minister told me the reason this bridge this bridge is so damn expensive is because we have to compensate the evicted, i dont how much of it is true, he defends everything bal to his heart.

 

[idune]

well the current jamai of the land minister told me the reason this bridge this bridge is so damn expensive is because we have to compensate the evicted, i dont how much of it is true, he defends everything bal to his heart.

why blame land minister, you yourself was ready to jack up the cost by posting inflated cost on longest bridge.

 

[scholseys]

calm down i found that in google, if that is not the true cost then do provide a true one, it was an honest mistaken no need to get grumpy over it.