Chinese firm wins Bangladesh mega bridge project

The Bangladeshi government has awarded a Chinese firm a $1.55-billion contract to build core structure of the country's biggest bridge project.

Bangladesh's cabinet committee on purchase Thursday approved the China Major Bridge Engineering Company Limited's bid to construct the core structure of the Padma bridge project, which is to begin by November this year and be completed in four years.

The proposed 25-meter-wide and 10-km-long bridge will be built over Padma River, one of the three major rivers in Bangladesh.

About 6.15 km of the bridge will be built over the river while the remaining part on both banks.

Apart from connecting nearly 30 million people in Bangladesh's southwest region to the rest of the country, the bridge will enhance regional trade and collaboration along the Asian highway No.1 and the Trans-Asian railway network.

"We'll sign an agreement with the Chinese firm next month," Bangladeshi Finance Minister AMA Muhith told journalists after the cabinet committee's meeting.

He said the Chinese firm will give a 100-year guarantee for the bridge.

The Bangladeshi government on June 26 last year floated international bids for construction of the stalled Padma Multipurpose Bridge.

The World Bank in June 2012 canceled its funding for the project, saying it had "credible evidence corroborated by a variety of sources which points to a high-level corruption conspiracy among Bangladeshi government officials, SNC Lavalin executives and private individuals in connection with the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project."

Finance Minister AMA Muhith in September last year said the integrity unit of the World Bank should seek unconditional apology to Bangladesh government for its false corruption charges about the tender of Padma bridge.