Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate construction of the Padma Barrage in Pangsha Upazila between January and March next year, Water Resources Minister and BNP Joint Secretary General Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee said on Friday.
He made the remarks at about 11:30 a.m. after inspecting the proposed barrage site at Habaspur in Pangsha.
The project is scheduled for completion by 2033.
"The Padma Barrage project will be completed using domestic funding. An allocation of Tk 35,000 crore has been earmarked from the GoP (Government of Pakistan/State) project fund to ensure the completion of the barrage," Anee said.
He said the government had started work soon after taking office and was committed to development and public safety.
"This is a mega-project. Once implemented, it will trigger an economic and agricultural revolution across 24 districts and facilitate electricity generation," he said.
Anee said a technical study had been conducted in 2004 during the tenure of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and the project was later approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
The barrage will be built across a 2.1-kilometre stretch of the Padma River at Habaspur in Pangsha Upazila, Rajbari, at an estimated cost of BDT 34,497 crore.
The project is scheduled to run from July 2026 to June 2033 and will include 78 spillways, 18 under-sluices, two fish passes and a navigation lock.
Once completed, the barrage is expected to store 290 crore cubic metres of water.
Prime Minister's Advisor on Finance and Planning Dr. Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, State Minister for Water Resources Md. Farhad Hossain Azad, Rajbari-1 MP and State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ali Newaz Mahmud Khayyam, Rajbari-2 MP Harun-or-Rashid Harun, District Council Chairman Abdus Salam Mia, Krishak Dal Central Committee Vice-President Advocate Aslam Mia, Deputy Commissioner Afroza Parveen and Water Development Board officials were also present.
FP/A
