Padma bridge: It will boost Indo-Bangla connectivity

Vikram Kumar Doraiswami, Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, said the Padma Bridge will contribute to greater connectivity between Bangladesh and India and in the sub-region supporting the BBIN initiative.

"From that perspective, as a country that has long valued the opportunity to increase connectivity across the sub-region, we in India will be delighted," he told journalists at the high commission on Tuesday.

He attributed the achievement to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's "continuous and consistently courageous decision".

The high commissioner said Hasina was proven correct in her decision to go ahead with this project and they look forward to the blessings of "connectivity, economic progress and easier travel".

"It is a major infrastructural project not just in terms of brick and steel," Doraiswami said, adding that it is a symbolic connection between the two parts of Bangladesh.

Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Jeremy Bruer has said the Padma Bridge is a major achievement by and for Bangladeshis which should make all of them proud.

In a message yesterday, the high commissioner said the bridge should give a significant boost to the national economy.

It would reduce travel time and make it easier for people to move around the country to conduct business and to see their families.

On behalf of all Australians, the envoy congratulated the government and people of Bangladesh on the completion of this country's largest infrastructure project which will connect 21 Southern districts with Dhaka.

Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the long-cherished Padma Bridge on June 25.