Padma Bridge is a gateway to our economic aspirations
It is indeed a historic moment to witness the realisation of a dream—the completion of the Padma Bridge—that seemed quite impossible when the World Bank, followed by other donors, pulled out their funding alleging corruption, allegations that were later proven untrue. But thanks to the quick and bold decision of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to build the bridge using the country's own resources, we now have a bridge that connects Dhaka to 21 southern districts bringing in immense economic opportunities that may change the lives of over 30 million people in the region. Credit goes to our PM for remaining steadfast in her vision that, despite the astronomical costs increased by delays caused by engineering challenges and environmental onslaughts, has now come true. The Padma Bridge, apart from adding to our national pride, also has given us reason to be optimistic of our economic future.
The TK 30,193 crore bridge will, for example, connect multi-lane expressways and railway lines with Dhaka from Monga port and Payra, the largest deep sea port. It will link Bangladesh with India, Nepal and Bhutan and catalyse regional trade along the Asian Highway and Trans-Asian Railway Network. It will not only benefit the Southwest region but there will also be economic spillovers all over the country as new jobs are created because of better connectivity between both sides of the Padma River. Studies have predicted an increase in national GDP growth rate by 1.2 percent, and this despite the huge additional costs the project has incurred due to delays and implementation problems.
The benefits for the south-western region are predicted to be enormous as lack of connectivity has left it as one of the least developed parts of the country, with most of the people living below the poverty line. In Khulna and Barishal districts, there are more people below the poverty line compared to other districts. Farmers especially suffer because there is a lack of access to markets, soil has been adversely affected by salinity, and because of lack of fresh water in the dry seasons. More importantly, the people have remained isolated from the rest of the country. With the bridge, travel time from Dhaka to Khulna will be four hours instead of about 13.
As an economist has pointed out, the bridge provides an economic corridor and we must make full use of its potential. This means attracting investments by building economic zones. The private sector has to be incentivised to encourage foreign direct investment. Clearly, the bridge is going to bring an unprecedented boost in economic activities including in farming, trade, labour movement, growth of small and medium industries, tourism, export-oriented manufacturing and so on. Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and industrial parks can generate many job opportunities for the local population. For this, there must be skills training programmes to train the local people. There must be more and better education opportunities for the young people in these regions. Backward and forward linkage industries have to be established along with marketing channels to service the production hubs.
The Padma Bridge promises to give a huge boost to our economy and change the lives of the most deprived sections of the population. It has the potential to accelerate our development dreams. But to make this happen, we must work hard to create an enabling environment for these aspirations to come true. The nation must be united in their efforts to take on these tasks with sincerity, efficiency, honesty and innovation.
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