Interim govt lowers Padma Bridge cost by Tk 1,835cr: Fouzul Kabir

Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, adviser for Road Transport, Bridges and Railways, announced that the interim government has saved Tk 1,835 crore in the Padma Bridge project.

He said that the latest estimated cost of the Padma Bridge project was Tk 32,605.52 crore.

However, through the implementation of a cost reduction policy, the final cost has been brought down to Tk 30,770.14 crore, resulting in a savings of approximately Tk 1,835 crore.

Fouzul Kabir suggested that if a more efficient government had been in place earlier, even greater cost reductions might have been achieved.

The adviser shared these insights while exchanging views with journalists at the Jazeera Service Area-2 conference room in Shariatpur on Friday night, following his visit to the Padma Bridge.

Breaking down the savings, Fouzul explained that Tk 530 crore was saved on the main bridge, Tk 80 crore on river management, Tk 178 crore on connecting roads and service areas, Tk 103 crore on land acquisition, and Tk 1,491 crore on various other expenses.

He also mentioned that the government is actively working to eliminate additional expenses caused by irregularities in the power sector. The Chief Adviser has instructed the administration to focus not only on numerical development but also on qualitative improvements, he said.

Fouzul further noted that he was going to visit the Rupsa Power Plant in Khulna, which currently lacks a gas supply for its 880 MW power generation capacity.

The adviser criticised the misleading presentation of development metrics, such as GDP growth, pointing out that without reliable electricity, such growth figures are meaningless. He indicated that actions would be taken after his inspection of the Rupsa power plant.