A Bridge on the River Padma

Shakhawat Liton

Finance Minister AMA Muhith on

January 30 said that he had
sought the World Bank President's
appointment
in
February
to
persuade the global money lender
to provide the fund for the Padma
Bridge.
He
was
talking
to
newsmen in the noon, disclosing
his intention to meet the World
Bank chief. But he did not know what was
waiting.
Abul Hossain

In the evening of January 30, Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina held a meeting with some of
her government's policymakers and decided
that the government would withdraw its
request to the World Bank for financing the
project. However, the next day, Muhit had to
write to the WB President informing him
about the government's decision. The same
day he also sent letters to the chiefs of Asian
Development Bank (ADB), Japan International
Cooperation Agency (Jica) and Islamic
Development Bank (IDB) requesting them to

continue to help Bangladesh government with

the bridge's construction and river training.
But things did not go according to the
government's expectations. Within days, the
development partners ADB, Jica and IDB
issued separate statements, stating their
decision to pull out of the Padma bridge
project. Out of the $2.9 billion required to
build the 6.15-kilometre-long Padma Bridge,
the WB had committed $1.2b and the ADB
and Jica nearly one billion dollars. And on
February 4, the finance minister announced in
parliament that the government would build
the Padma Bridge with its own fund keeping
the present design unchanged.
Muhith always favoured World Bank funding
for the mega project. As the finance minister,
he must have understood the reality as he on
October 09, 2011 said that $1.2 billion was a
big amount and the government needed the
money to implement the project. But the last
few days' developments changed the entire
situation, bringing to a close the saga over
the finance for the country's largest ever
infrastructure project.

Why did the government so

hurriedly take the decision to
withdraw its request to the World
Bank? Did the government do it to
hide something? Or did the
government do it after becoming
sure that the WB would not
finance the project unless former
communications minister Syed
Abul Hossain was included in the
case filed by Anti-Corruption
Commission in connection with
the conspiracy of corruption in the project?
The entire saga also portrayed the lack of
coordination within the government. There
were inconsistencies in the statements of the
ministers. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on
July 9, 2012 told the parliament that her
government would build the Padma Bridge
with its own funds and begin the construction
work in the current fiscal year. She had said
that the mega project, estimated to cost
around Tk 23,000 crore, would be completed
within fiscal year 2015-16. She also urged the
global lenders not to put up "unnecessary
obstacles" to Bangladesh's development

efforts. Hasina's announcement came nine

days after the World Bank pulled out of the
bridge project, citing a corruption conspiracy.
In her address, she sketched out how her
government would arrange the money for the
project from various sources.
But the Prime Minister could not carry out her
plan. After around seven months, the finance
minister now made the same announcement.
What did the government gain by this time?
But it is clear that the government could not
improve its relation with the World Bank.
Rather the way the prime minister and some
of her ministers have bashed the money
lender has deteriorated the situation. On the
other hand, the government could not
demonstrate its sincerity in taking stern
actions
against
former
communications
minister Syed Abul Hossain who has finally
become the man bigger than the Padma
Bridge and the country's interests. The
government's soft spot for him has given rise
to such public perception.
After a series of events, Abul was removed
from the communications ministry and later

he was removed from the cabinet. But he was

not made an accused in the case filed by the
ACC. Therefore, the WB review panel
expressed its dissatisfaction for not including
Abul Hossain, saying that the former minister
was personally involved in the corruption
conspiracy.
Finally, the government has decided not to
take World Bank fund to construct the Padma
Bridge. The decision has raised a dozens
questions--why is the government now so
desperate to begin the construction of the
bridge? Will the beginning of the work benefit
the ruling AL in the upcoming parliamentary
elections? Any wrong step by the government
might cause waste of public money. Similarly,
it is time for the government to prove itself by
facing the huge challenge of beginning the
process of building the bridge.
The writer is Senior Reporter, The Daily
Star.