Rehabilitation of the families affected by land acquisition for the Padma Bridge project have not been done yet, officials concerned said in an internal meeting of the Bridges Division under the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges last week.
The contract of Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh, delegated with the task of rehabilitating the affected families, has been extended from October to January, according to sources at the meeting.
A deputy director of the Bridges Division said it was mainly because the process was “lengthy,” and the ownership of some of the plots was disputed.
So far, out of 2,592 families that have been affected by the land acquisition, only 857 have been given plots. Officials attending the meeting said the government would appoint another NGO to help develop livelihood opportunities for those rehabilitated under the project.
The construction of Padma Bridge was well underway, with some of its key components almost 30% complete by the end of October, the Bridges Division officials said at the meeting.
Soil testing, which is currently in progress, will decide the due course for piling, which essentially prepares the base for setting pillars.
There will be 66 pillars for the bridge in total, but 42 will directly support the 6.15-km bridge over the Padma River. The rest will be for the approach roads and auxiliary construction.
The review meeting, presided over by the Bridge Division Secretary Khandokar Anwarul Islam, was told that geo-technical investigation for soil testing began on November 7, fairly on schedule.
However, despite the completion of service area 2 by the Bridges Division, the electricity lines were yet to be connected due to delay by the Power Development Board.
“We hope the construction of the main bridge will start within two or three days, and the entire project will certainly be complete within four years,” Project Director Shafiqul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Friday said vehicular movement on the much-talked-about Padma Bridge would start by 2018.
“The construction of Padma Bridge is continuing defying all odds. Vehicles will start plying the bridge by 2018,” he told reporters during a visit to the construction site.
Sinohydro, a Chinese state-owned hydropower engineering and construction company, will start river training work in January, the minister said, adding that China Major Bridge Engineering Co Ltd has already st arted some construction of the main part of Bangladesh’s longest bridge.