Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed her hope that the Padma Bridge would be a blessing for the nation for easier communication in the wake of a flood, as the government is set to inaugurate it on June 25.
"After the opening of the Padma Bridge, I hope, InshaAllah, it would be a blessing as uninterrupted communication with the Southern region will be ensured," she said.
The premier made this optimism while addressing a reception ceremony of sportspersons at Shapla Hall in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in Dhaka on Sunday, reports BSS.
She said, "The Padma Bridge will create a vast opportunity for us to transport goods, tackle floods, stand beside people and provide them assistance."
She added, "I think we are going to open the (Padma) bridge at a time when the flood began on one side, but it may also go to the Southern region."
Sheikh Hasina said during the flood, river crossing becomes difficult as it gets extra current and appears as furious and that is why people get stuck on the river bank.
In this connection, she also shared her own experiences of being stuck in Tungipara during the flood of 1988.
The premier said that if there would have been a bridge over the Padma River, she could have travelled to Dhaka instead of being stuck.
“So, after the opening (Padma Bridge), all types of works such as providing assistance, medicine etc to people could be done easily during the flood," she said.
Recalling the time of the inauguration of the Bangabandhu Bridge on the River Jamuna, the prime minister said there was a severe and prolonged flood in 1998 in the country.
At that time, the bridge connected the Northern region with other parts of the country, she said.
She added: "As I opened the Bangabandhu Bridge, goods from the region were transported easily to the other areas during the flood that had helped tackle floods in an easier way."
To this end, she also remembered that international organisations at that time predicted over 20 million people would die because of the flood, but, "I replied that we won’t let anybody die and no person died".
She added, "As I opened the (Bangabandhu) bridge, we were able to tackle the flood easily."
The prime minister also recalled that the southern region had received huge support from the Northern region at that time.