BBA seeks lower fund for Padma Bridge in FY ’21

The Bangladesh Bridges Authority (BBA) has sought Tk 50 billion funds in the upcoming development budget for the Padma Bridge construction work, lower than the amount in the current fiscal year (FY), 2019-20, officials said on Wednesday.

The lower fund demand is likely to delay the bridge construction further from the current deadline of completing it in June 2021, project insiders said.

The government allocated Tk 53.71 billion for the work in the current Annual Development Programme (ADP).

The government was forced to cut the allocation in the Revised ADP (RADP) to Tk 40.15 billion in early March due to its slow progress.

If the BBA can spend the entire RADP allocation of Tk 40.15 billion, some Tk 67.54 billion will remain unutilised for FY 2021, the last fiscal of its implementation period, insiders said.

They also said the BBA has failed to implement the bridge construction work according to the stipulated target, although the government has extended the deadline many times.

The latest deadline of completing the country's largest bridge over the Padma river is June 2021, the last month of the upcoming FY.

Meanwhile, the BBA has claimed that it has completed 78 percent physical work of the bridge construction until February.

According to its data, the agency has spent Tk 215.64 billion, or 71 percent of the total cost of Tk 301.93 billion for the Padma bridge construction project, until this February.

A senior official hinted that they might miss the  June 2021 deadline due to impact of the ongoing deadly coronavirus outbreak on the project work.

"Since we cannot assume the pandemic impact on Bangladesh, we have sought lower than available funds for the next FY," he said requesting for anonymity.

Nevertheless, they would try to complete the construction work by June next year, he added.

An official of the Planning Commission (PC) said if the BBA wants to complete the bridge within the deadline, it has to spend the remaining 29 percent of the total cost by June 2021.

On May 04, the 29th span of the much-anticipated Padma Bridge was installed, making 4.35 kilometres of the structure visible. The BBA installed the span on the 33rd and 34th pillars of the bridge at Janjira point.

A senior official of the PC said: "We have recently received the lower fund requirement from the Bridges Division for the Padma Bridge project in the upcoming ADP. We are scrutinising the requirements before finalising the ADP."

"The government is trying hard to construct the Padma Bridge. In FY 2016, the division performed better, and it sought higher funds in the RADP. But the lower fund requirement in the subsequent three fiscals is likely to delay the construction further," he added.

China Major Bridge Engineering is working to construct the bridge, while another Chinese company - Sino-Hydro - is working on its river training.

Besides, the government has appointed Abdul Monem Ltd of Bangladesh and its joint-venture partner - a Malaysian company - for building approach roads on both sides of the bridge.

According to the government's estimation, once completed, the bridge will give a 1.2 percent boost to the country's gross domestic product (GDP).