Staff Reporter :
The much-awaited Padma Bridge was finally opened to traffic on Sunday morning, ending the miseries of people by crossing the mighty Padma River on ferries.
People from all walks of life saw a historic moment as Bangladesh entered a new era of road communication through the inauguration of the mega structure, which connected the capital with 21 south and south-western districts.
Hundreds of vehicles were waiting overnight on the bridge in the early hours. When it turned 6:00am, the Bridge was opened for public use and vehicles started crossing the river using it.
Vehicles have started plying for the first time through toll plazas at Mawa end of Louhajang upazila, under Munshiganj district, and Jazira end at Shariatpur district.
Besides, long queues of cars, trucks and bikes were seen waiting to cross the Bridge.
Meanwhile, the authority concerned realized about Tk 82.20 lakh as toll in the first eight hours from different types of vehicles on Sunday.
About 15,200 vehicles have crossed the dream Bridge, inaugurated by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday and she crossed it as the first passenger by paying toll.
Earlier, hundreds of buses, trucks, cars, and motorcycles were seen waiting on both sides of the Padma Bridge’s toll plazas-on the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway point and Jazira end at Shariatpur point.
A total of Tk 46,89 550 were realised from 8,438 vehicles at the Mawa point, while Tk 35,29,500 from 6,762 vehicles from Jajira point in the first eight hours, Abul Hossain, Superintendent Engineer of Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) told to this correspondent.
He said that 60 percent of the vehicles that have been crossing the bridge since morning are motorcycles and larger vehicles are a little less.
“We were prepared from early in the morning and vehicles movement started before 6am. The people’s sufferings of 21 south-southwest regions, who waited for hours at the ferry ghat to cross the mighty river Padma, have been removed after opening of the Padma Bridge from today,” Hossain said.
The Bridge users will have to pay fine if anybody takes a photo stopping their vehicular on the Padma Bridge from Monday.
Besides, stern action will be taken if the speed of the bike or other mood of vehicular are not followed the government’s traffic rules and regulations.
The Padma Bridge has been constructed at a cost of Tk 30,193 crore and it is expected to bring an economic revolution in Bangladesh.
UNB adds: Long queues of vehicles were seen on Mawa and Jajira ends of the Padma Bridge after the much-awaited bridge opened to traffic at 6 am on Sunday, a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated it.
Our Munshiganj correspondent reports: People started thronging the Mawa point of the bridge since night to cross the bridge at first chance.
Long queues of southern-western districts- bound vehicles including motorbikes, buses, trucks were seen waiting to cross the bridge.
Aminul Islam, 35, who came from Kamrangirchar area, crossed the bridge first after paying toll at Mawa point. He said he along with 100 other motorbikes riders came here to cross the bridge.
Toll collection at Mawa point was delayed due to manual system. Five booths out of six were opened on Sunday for collecting toll. Syed Rajab Ali, executive engineer of Padma Multipurpose Bridge, said toll collection process is a bit slow as today is the first day. The process will be speedy later, he hoped.
The government on May 17 finalised the toll rate for different types of vehicles for crossing the Padma Multipurpose Bridge. The Bridges Division under Road Transport and Bridges Ministry issued a gazette notification in this regard.
According to the government decision, Tk 100 toll has been fixed for motorbike, Tk 750 for private car and jeep, Tk 1200 from pick-up, Tk 1300 for microbus, Tk 1400 for small bus (with 31 seats), Tk 2000 for middle bus (with 32 seats), Tk 2400 for big size bus, Tk 1600 for small truck (5 tonnes), Tk 2100 for middle size truck (over 5 tonnes to 8 tonnes), Tk 2800 for middle size truck (over 8 tonnes to 11 tonnes), Tk 5500 for big truck (up to 3 excel) Tk 6000 for trailer truck (4 excel) and Tk 6,000 plus for trailer (over 4 excel).
Earlier, on Saturday, Bangladesh wrote another golden chapter in history when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened the Padma Bridge turning the nation’s dream into a reality.
