C T Online Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has arrived on the bank of the Padma River to inaugurate Bangladesh’s longest bridge amid huge festivity, an emotional and joyous moment for her and the nation.
The first segment of the inaugural ceremony is taking place on Saturday at the Mawa end of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge where the prime minister will release a commemorative postal stamp and souvenir sheet. She is also scheduled to unveil the inaugural plaque and Mural-1 at the toll plaza.
Invited guests, including foreign diplomats, joined Hasina in celebrating the inauguration of the government-funded bridge at the venue.
For the second segment, Hasina and her entourage will travel to the Zajira end of the bridge and unveil the inaugural plaque and Mural-2 there.
Hasina is expected to join a rally organised by the Awami League at Madaripur’s Kathalbari.
The bridge will open to traffic on Sunday.
President Abdul Hamid has issued a separate message congratulating Bangladeshis to mark the occasion.
Both sides of the bridge and surrounding areas and roads were decorated with colourful festoons and banners highlighting Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ahead of the inauguration.
The World Bank was supposed to finance part of the construction of the Padma Bridge. A decade ago, Bangladesh finalised a $1.2 billion loan contract for the project at an initial estimated cost of $2.9 billion. But the Washington-based agency suspended its loan after raising complaints of corruption over the appointment of consultants for the bridge.
Uncertainty loomed over the project after the World Bank pulled out in 2012 and the Bangladesh government, which repeatedly denied the allegations, looked for ways to regain its favour.
A decade later, the bridge opened on Saturday, connecting people on both sides of the Padma River.
