Bangladesh's longest 'Padma Bridge' inaugurated
by PM Sheikh Hasina
On 25 June, 2022, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has inaugurated the long-awaited ‘Padma Bridge’. It is the longest bridge in Bangladesh and is completely built with domestic funds.
The 6.15-km long road-rail four-lane bridge is built over the Padma River which connects south- western Bangladesh with the capital and other parts. The
multipurpose road-rail bridge, which is fully funded by the Bangladesh government, has been constructed at a cost of $3.6 billion.
The inauguration of the ‘Padma Bridge’ holds great significance for Bangladesh as the structure is built
entirely with domestic financing. With the construction of the bridge, the country has proved the speculations of some financial analysts’ wrong who had doubted
whether Bangladesh could raise funds on the basis of domestic resources or not.
World Bank had pulled the Contribution Out of the Project
The project was initially expected to be funded by a consortium led by the World Bank. In 2012, it
rescinded the proposed credit, saying it had "credible evidence" of corruption among high-level Bangladeshi officials. Bangladeshbhas always denied these
allegations and preferred not to approach the international global lender for funding.