Padma Bridge
Alternative funding won't bring good: BNP
BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday said it would be better for the country if the government took action against the corrupt identified by the World Bank and construct the Padma Bridge with donors' fund instead of going for alternative sources.
“It will go against the country's interests if the government accepts fund with tougher conditions from alternative sources instead of bringing corrupt persons to trial”, he told a press briefing at the party's central office in the capital's Nayapaltan.
He said the BNP would cancel the deal for the construction of $2.97 billion worth of Padma bridge if the money was collected from alternative sources with tough conditions.
Alleging corruption, the World Bank suspended funding in the country's biggest ever infrastructure project in September 2011.
The government is now negotiating with Malaysia to collect necessary fund for Padma project, which was an electoral pledge of the ruling Awami League. Malaysia is scheduled to give a final proposal to the government regarding the matter towards the end of this month.
However, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said on Sunday that source of the funding would be finalised by July.
Against this backdrop, the BNP yesterday clarified its stand over the government initiative for alternative financing of the project.
Mirza Alamgir said funding with high interest would result in a long time crisis for Bangladesh, while the crisis could be removed if the government took actions against the corrupt.
“It will be good for the country if the bridge is built with the help of the World Bank with low interest rate”, he added.
DISAPPEARANCE IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY
While addressing a discussion organised by "90s student leaders" at Jatiya Press Club in protest of the disappearance of BNP leader M Ilias Ali, Mirza Alamgir said "forced disappearance" of a political leader was nothing but a crime against humanity. “This is no less than war crimes”, he said and urged the people to stand against the “abduction of political leaders by the government”. He claimed that 127 persons had gone missing over the last three and a half years. Ilias, a central organising secretary of BNP and former lawmaker, went missing on April 17 from the capital. Mirza Alamgir also urged the government to restore the caretaker government system by June 10. “Or else, people will force the government to meet the demand through a mass upsurge”. Former student leader and BNP Joint Secretary General Aman Ullah Aman presided over the meeting. At the party's March 12 mass rally, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia gave the government the June 10 deadline for reinstatement of caretaker government system, which was scrapped from the constitution through the fifteenth amendment.
While addressing a discussion organised by "90s student leaders" at Jatiya Press Club in protest of the disappearance of BNP leader M Ilias Ali, Mirza Alamgir said "forced disappearance" of a political leader was nothing but a crime against humanity. “This is no less than war crimes”, he said and urged the people to stand against the “abduction of political leaders by the government”. He claimed that 127 persons had gone missing over the last three and a half years. Ilias, a central organising secretary of BNP and former lawmaker, went missing on April 17 from the capital. Mirza Alamgir also urged the government to restore the caretaker government system by June 10. “Or else, people will force the government to meet the demand through a mass upsurge”. Former student leader and BNP Joint Secretary General Aman Ullah Aman presided over the meeting. At the party's March 12 mass rally, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia gave the government the June 10 deadline for reinstatement of caretaker government system, which was scrapped from the constitution through the fifteenth amendment.
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