News Desk :
The ripple effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are felt across the world, including in Bangladesh, and now the war has caused a delay to the opening of the Padma Bridge.
Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam blamed the conflict for the delay after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Wednesday the structure will open to traffic by the end of 2022, not by June as per the previously expected deadline, reports bdnews24.com
Anwarul said the war has hampered the arrival of some of the equipment for the construction of the bridge from Europe with the conflict affecting shipment of goods heavily. Even a Bangladeshi ship was stuck in Ukraine and later hit by a projectile. One Bangladeshi seafarer was killed in the incident.
The cabinet secretary faced questions from journalists at the Secretariat after Hasina announced the delay in parliament. “Actually, the official schedule for the completion of the Padma Bridge is December 2022. We are trying to get it done earlier if possible. I will talk to the prime minister to know her opinion on this,” he said.
Explaining the possible reasons behind the prime minister’s statement, Anwarul said that some shipments for the bridge was supposed to be completed in March, but now there is some uncertainty due to the war.
The shipments have already been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and now it is getting delayed due to the war, he said.
After a long tug-of-war with the World Bank, Hasina announced in February 2013 that Bangladesh would build the Padma Bridge with its own money.
Then on Dec 12, 2015, she flagged off the construction work of the bridge. In December 2020, the bridge came into full view with the installation of the final span.
