BSS, UNB: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday expressed gratitude to the people of Bangladesh for standing behind the construction of Padma Bridge with own funds. She said that Padma Bridge has been constructed despite conspiracies and obstacles. “I have always believed in power of the people. Yesterday, Padma Bridge stands tall, as people stood by it,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina was speaking at a press conference held at the Prime Minister’s Office earlier yesterday.
She said that in 2011, agreements were signed with World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Islamic Development Bank over funding for the bridge construction. Experts and engineers from 20 countries, including Bangladesh worked on the Padma Bridge project, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said yesterday.
“Padma Bridge was built on the efforts of thousands of people. Apart from Bangladesh, experts and engineers from China, India, USA, UK, Canada, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Singapore, Japan, Denmark, Italy, Malaysia, Colombia, Philippines, Taiwan, Nepal and South Africa worked on the project,” the premier said during a press briefing yesterday.
“I had proposed to the Japanese government about building bridges over the rivers Padma and Rupsa during my visit to Japan in 1997. The Japanese government supported the proposal,” she added.