Bangladesh denies Padma Bridge project being part of China’s Belt and Road Imitative
Padma Bridge
Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has clarified that the Padma Bridge— multipurpose road-rail bridge across the Padma River, the main distributary of the Ganges—is not part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), putting rest to speculations onBeijing’s presence in the Indian neighbourhood.
BRI or the “One Belt, One Road” initiative is a flagship programme of President Xi Jinping for trade and connectivity. India has often raised concerns over the BRI projects because of a key part– the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – passingthrough Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
In a statement, Bangladesh MoFA said, “Ministry of Foreign Affairs categorically asserts that the Padma Multipurpose Bridge has been entirely funded by the Government of Bangladesh and no foreign funds from any bilateral or multilateral funding agency have financially contributed to its construction.”
The response came amid reports that the Padma Multipurpose Bridge has been constructed under the Chinese BRI and foreign funds.
According to the foreign ministry, the completion of the bridge— which is scheduled to open on June 25—will fulfil the dream of Bangladesh of connecting the 19 south-western districts to the rest of the country resulting in collective prosperity, socio-economic development of the country as well as enhanced regional connectivity.
The 6-km bridge, which is located about 40 kilometres south of Dhaka, is expected to boost trade and commerce in Bangladesh's southwest region and, according to official estimates, increase the country's GDP by 1.2 per cent.
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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the main construction work of the bridge in 2015. When completed it will be the largest bridge in Bangladesh and the first fixed river crossing for road traffic.
It will connect Louhajong, Munshiganj to Shariatpur and Madaripur, linking the south-west of the country, to northern and eastern regions.
(With inputs from agencies)
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