Govt to take army help

The communications ministry officials will sit in a meeting with the army high-ups on April 16 to discuss how it could take assistance from the Armed Forces Division to construct the Padma bridge.
“The government will seek assistance from the army for the construction of Padma bridge,” Communications Minister Obaidul Quader told a function yesterday.
The function was organised at a field of the proposed Hamdard University at Gazaria in Munshiganj, marking the conclusion of repair works at Meghna-Gumti Bridge.
Quader, however, did not make it clear what kind of assistance the ministry would seek from the army during the forthcoming meeting at Setu Bhaban in the capital.
Obaidul Quader, Army Chief General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, Bridges Division Secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam and officials of Special Work Organisation of the Army Engineering Corps will attend the meeting, ministry sources said.
Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the army would be involved in constructing the Padma bridge.
The construction of $2.9 billion Padma bridge became uncertain as donors cancelled their funding on the grounds of allegation of corruption in the project.
The army, which received Tk 437 crore for repair works on Meghna and Meghna-Gumti bridges, has replaced 30 expansion joints and 96 hinge bearings of two bridges.
Army personnel also dumped sand bags into the Meghna as river-bed scouring had left several piers of the bridges in danger.
The repair works would keep both the bridges on Dhaka-Chittagong highway safe for the next 10 years, said communications ministry officials.
Speaking at yesterday's function, Quader also said the construction work of three new bridges adjacent to the existing Meghna, Meghna-Gumti and Kanchpur bridges would start in October this year.
A Tk 9,000 crore deal has already been inked with Japan International Cooperation Agency to construct the bridges.
Army Chief General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, lawmaker Subid Ali Bhuiyan, Communications Secretary MAN Siddique, among others, attended the function.