The government will press ahead with the construction of a US$3-billion bridge spanning the Padma River even if it has to fund the project itself, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said yesterday. However, she says while the government will not chase funding overseas, foreign donors would still be welcome. “We will construct Padma Bridge with our own funds but we keep the door open for interested donors,” the premier told reporters in Dhaka yesterday. The premier was referring to what would be Bangladesh’s biggest ever infrastructural project connecting impoverished southwestern districts with the rest of the country. The principle donor for the bridge, the World Bank, pulled out of the project late last month citing high-level corruption, casting doubt over whether construction would go ahead.
