As the monsoon sets in, the authorities concerned have taken necessary measures to protect the Padma Bridge inauguration venue at the Mawa site, officials said.
They said the venue has been covered with plastic shades to protect the civil gathering while arrangements have been made so that rain waters cannot be stagnated at the venue.
Meanwhile, almost all the necessary works of the main bridge including setting up of the toll plazas are completed for inauguration of the dream on June 25.
"There is no work now at the bridge sites. The petty works that remain to be done are not so important at this moment," said an engineer at the project site.
He said the Padma Multipurpose Bridge (PMB) authority is expected to take over the project from contractor China Major Bridge Engineering Company Ltd on Wednesday next.
The PMB project authority will simultaneously handover the bridge's maintenance work to the CMBE and operation and maintenance of approach roads to Korean Expressway Company (KEC).
Project Director M Shafiqul Islam said that as the distinguished guests will have to walk few metres to the bridge inauguration venue, last minute measures will be taken prior to the inaugural day considering the rain situation.
However, the venue for the public gathering is also being taken care of by the district administration.
It will be a challenging task as hundreds of thousand people are expected to be gathered at the venue where the Prime Minister will deliver a speech after unveiling plaques at Mawa and Janjira sites.
Meanwhile, the KEC has completed the trial of the toll plazas on Friday, allowing the project office vehicles to cross the 6.15 km bridge paying the toll. Officials said the toll operation was successful.
The Bridge Division started sending invitation cards to the distinguished guests for the civil gathering at Mawa site. It will continue until next week, officials said.
The invitation to BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia is yet to be sent as it would be handed over in person.
Officials said the diplomats were invited through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while the cards and email invitation to the development partners including the World Bank were sent through the Economic Relations Division.
The World Bank Country Office has already received the soft copy of the invitation card for World Bank President David Malpass on Thursday and forwarded it accordingly on the same day, according to a WB source.
However, the source added, the possibility of his presence at the inaugural ceremony is thin due to his previous engagement fixed a long time ago. The WB Country Director is expected to attend the function.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA) expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and others involved in the PMB project due to successfully executing the dream project with the government's own funds.
In a press release signed by its general secretary Dr Mohammad Ainul Islam, the BEA said the association was the first to appreciate the Prime Minister's decision to build the bridge with own fund by sharing a BEA research paper.
smunima@yahoo.com