The much-awaited Padma Bridge is no more a dream and its implementation is a matter of time, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Wednesday, according to government-run news agency BSS.
In reply to a tabled question from treasury bench member Begum Fazilatunnesa Bappy during her question-answer session in the House, Sheik Hasina said "We hope that vehicles would ply the bridge in 2018."
The Leader of the House informed that the present government has included six schemes as the "Fast Track Projects" aimed at elevating Bangladesh to a middle-income country by 2021.
The projects, she said, are: Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (first phase), Rampal Coal-fired Power Plant, Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Project (Metro Rail), Deep Seaport Project and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal Project.
The Prime Minister said the implementation work on the much- awaited Padma Bridge is underway finishing all of its preparatory works.
"For construction of the bridge, 2,403.24 acres of land were acquired and those lands were handed over to the Bridge Division, while work order for setting up link roads on both sides of the bridge has already been given," she said.
The Leader of the House said the rehabilitation work for those affected due to acquisition of land is going on and the work order for constructing the main Padma Bridge was given in this month. "An agreement to build the main bridge has been inked with the concerned firm," she said.
About the construction of the Rooppur Power Plant in Ishuardi in Pabna, the Prime Minister said the work order of Taka 4400 crore for carrying out a feasibility study for this purpose has been given.
She said Russian state-run organizations Rosatom and Atomostroy are implementing the primary works, which would be done in three phases.
"It is expected that 1,000-MW electricity would be produced primarily from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant by 2021 and 1,000- MW more power will be generated from it in 2022," she said.
Sheikh Hasina said the work on setting up a 1320-MW coal-fired power plant at Rampal in Bagerhat has begun under a joint initiative with India.
She said the work on acquisition and development of land, carrying out of a feasibility study, formation of a company and appointment of owners engineers have been completed.
"The main work on implementation of the power plant would start soon and I hope that the work would be finished by 2018," she said.
Sheikh Hasina said the work on Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Line-6 Project has begun and the work from Uttara to Matijheel is ongoing.
The Leader of the House said discussion is underway with different companies of China, the UAE and the Netherlands for construction of the deep seaport.
"A deal to this end would be penned with those companies within two or three months which could build the port at a low cost and less time," she said.
About the LNG Terminal, the Prime Minister said the Energy Division has been working to build the LNG Terminal to remove gas crisis.
It is hoped that an agreement to this effect would be signed with the concerned company and the construction of the terminal with capacity of supplying 50 crore cft gas daily would be finished by 2016.
The Prime Minister said some more schemes have been identified as important projects for accelerating the country's socioeconomic uplift.
The projects, she said, are the Protection of Buriganga River, Construction of Dhaka-Chittagong Four-lane Highway, Construction of riverway, rail track and roads around Dhaka city, Construction of High-Tech Park, Launching Bangabandhu Satellite, Relocation of Tannery Industries, Setting up of Garment Village and Pharma Industry Park, Removing Traffic Jam in Dhaka city and the Protection of Sundarbans.
