Dhaka, July 11 (UNB) – Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Thursday indicated not accepting a recent Chinese firm’s offer of investing US$ 2.4 billion for implementing the Padma Bridge project as he was not prepared to accept any fixed contract.“My position is very clear. I’m not prepared to accept any fixed contract and that’s the only position. We’ve already invited bids from the international parties and I think we should stick to that,” he told reporters at his secretariat office.
The Finance Minister said that he had seen the Chinese offer where the contractor is fixed. “I’ll give it to the appropriate body before giving a decision…it will go to the highest authority, perhaps to an expanded body.”
Earlier, on Tuesday, Communication Minister Obaidul Quader told journalists that the Chinese state-owned firm Poly Corporation wants to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh to seal the Padma Bridge deal.
Muhith also informed that Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander A. Nikolayev in a meeting with him earlier in the morning had offered some export credit against general consulting programme for the Padma Bridge project.
“So, I maintain our position that we’ll finance the project on our own and such kind of (Chinese firm’s) credit will not be accepted, because in order to do anything with such offer,” he said.
He added: “Whenever any private party comes then their parties are fixed and it is not possible to go for international tendering. But, I think international tendering is extremely important for Padma (Bridge), not simply because of technology, but also that Padma project has been accused of corruption,”
The Finance Minister said that to avoid such a thing, it is essential to go for international bidding and also follow the design, which has been accepted by all over the world. Any deviation from it would lead to corruption.
“That’s why I don’t see any possibility of financing the Padma Bridge on private offer basis,” he said.
Besides, Muhith said that during the meeting with the Russian ambassador, they discussed various aspects of the Rooppur nuclear power plant project.
Earlier, on June 26, the government floated international tender for the construction of the main bridge of the much-hyped Padma project.
The World Bank was supposed to provide a $1.2 billion credit for the $2.9 billion project. The ADB and JICA were also to give $ 1 billion in between themselves.
But, Bangladesh government in January this year withdrew its funding request to the Washington-based lending agency, the World Bank.
– UNB
