Padma Barrage construction to begin early next year: Anee

Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee today said the construction of the Padma Barrage project is expected to be inaugurated in January or February next year.

He said around seven crore people in Bangladesh's southwestern region would benefit from the project, which is expected to bring significant socio-economic development to disadvantaged and affected communities in the region.

The minister made the remarks during a discussion after inspecting the proposed project site on the bank of the Padma River at Satbaria Kanchan Park in Sujanagar upazila of Pabna today, said a press release.

Anee said the government had taken the initiative within two and a half months of assuming office, describing it as a landmark project and a major challenge for the country.

He said the estimated cost of the first phase of the project was around Tk 35,000 crore. Work on the second phase would need to begin while the first phase was still underway, he added.

The minister further said that, according to the current estimates, a total of Tk 50,000 crore to Tk 55,000 crore would be required to complete the project.