Tk 34,497cr Padma Barrage project to use local funds: Annie

 
The government has approved the Tk 34,497-crore Padma Barrage project, to be financed entirely from domestic resources, Water Resources Minister Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie said.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to formally inaugurate the project between January and March next year, the minister said on Friday while visiting the proposed project site at Habaspur in Pangsha upazila of Rajbari.

Adviser on Finance and Planning T Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, State Minister for Water Resources Farhad Hossain Azad, State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyam and Rajbari-2 MP Md Harun-or-Rashid were present during the inspection.

The Water Resources Minister said implementation of the Padma Barrage project would bring major changes to agriculture and fisheries and help transform the economy of 24 districts in the southwestern region.

Two hydroelectric power plants with a combined generation capacity of 113 megawatts will also be built at the barrage, he said.

Annie said the technical feasibility study for the project began in 2004 during the tenure of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

He said the required personnel for the project had already been recruited and started work.

The project, approved under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, will be implemented over seven years, the minister said.

The proposed Padma Barrage will be 2.1 kilometres long and have 78 spillway gates and 18 under-sluice gates. It will also include a navigation lock and two fish passes.

A railway bridge will be constructed over the barrage as part of the project.

Water Resources Ministry Secretary Dr A K M Shahabuddin, Bangladesh Water Development Board Director General Md Ruhul Amin, Rajbari Deputy Commissioner Afroza Parvin and District Council Administrator Abdus Salam, among others, were also present during the site inspection.