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DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday celebrated the opening of the nation’s longest bridge, which took eight years to construct amid setbacks involving political battle and corruption allegations.
The 6.51-kilometer (4.04-mile) bridge spanning the Padma River price an estimated $3.6 billion and was paid for with home funds after the World Financial institution and different world lending companies declined to finance the undertaking following a graft scandal involving a Canadian development firm.
The bridge, which can open to the general public on Sunday, will slash the space between the capital, Dhaka, and Bangladesh’s second largest seaport, Mongla, by 100 kilometers (62 miles).
“The bridge belongs to the folks of Bangladesh. It encapsulates our ardour, creativity, braveness, endurance and perseverance,” Hasina mentioned at a ceremony in Mawa, about 31 kilometers (19 miles) southwest of Dhaka.
Whereas circuitously a part of China’s Belt and Street infrastructure initiative, the bridge was constructed by the China Main Bridge Engineering Firm Ltd. and is seen by Beijing as a milestone for cooperation with Bangladesh, in accordance with an announcement by China’s Ambassador Li Jiming.
The China Railway Group has mentioned the Padma Bridge will later characteristic a rail community that connects with different Belt and Street initiatives and can function an essential hyperlink between China and a pan-Asian rail community.
Economists say the Padma Bridge will enhance Bangladesh’s gross home product by a further 1.3% per yr, including to sturdy development projections from the Asian Improvement Financial institution that predict Bangladesh’s $465 billion financial system will develop by 6.9% in 2021-22, and seven.1% in 2022-23.
Officers mentioned the bridge will join at the least 21 districts within the southern and southwestern areas of Bangladesh.
Specialists say the development of the bridge, which concerned greater than 4,000 engineers, was a serious technical problem. The underwater pilings lengthen 122 meters (400 ft) deep, a world file, and it requires 41 pillars. At some factors within the river, the water move quantity ranks second globally solely after the Amazon River.
The World Financial institution mentioned in 2012 that it discovered parts of corruption involving a Canadian development agency within the plans for the Padma Bridge and determined to keep away from funding $1.2 billion for the undertaking.
The choice prompted different lending companies together with the Asian Improvement Financial institution, Japan Worldwide Cooperation Company and Islamic Improvement Financial institution to distance themselves from the undertaking. Hasina then mentioned Bangladesh would construct the bridge with its personal funds.
The corruption fees went to a Superior Courtroom in Ontario, Canada, which acquitted three former high executives of SNC-Lavalin, the Canadian agency, in a global bribery case linked to the bridge’s development in 2017.
Hasina additionally defied bitter criticism by political opposition led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia throughout the development of the bridge. The opposition criticized Hasina’s authorities for rising the finances threefold through the years and accused the authorities of corruption. Hasina rejected the allegations.
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