Padma Bridge and the power of public demand

More than two decades have passed since the decision was taken to construct the Padma Bridge at Mawa, yet the story behind that choice remains largely unknown to the people.

Today, vehicles cross the bridge every day, but few are aware of the political pressure, public mobilisation, and administrative intervention that ultimately determined its location.

The events date back to early March 2004, when I was serving as Assistant Private Secretary-1 to Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.

One day, a senior official from the Ministry of Communications telephoned me with an urgent concern.

He informed me that the final approval summary for the Padma Bridge project had already been sent to the Prime Minister’s Office.

However, despite the feasibility study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) recommending Mawa as the most suitable location, Communications Minister Barrister Nazmul Huda had selected Aricha as the bridge site.

The reasoning behind JICA’s recommendation was straightforward.

The Mawa route involved a shorter distance, lower construction costs, and broader regional connectivity.

Yet the decision had allegedly been influenced by personal considerations, as Sigma Huda, the minister’s wife, had family roots in the Aricha area.

The matter immediately drew my attention and stayed firmly in my mind.

I subsequently made enquiries and located the file at the Prime Minister’s Office.

After carefully reviewing the documents, I kept the file secured in my drawer and began contacting influential BNP leaders from the affected southern districts.

Among those I spoke to were MujiburRahmanSarwar of Barishal, former minister Abdul Hai of Munshiganj, Faridpur BNP president Shahjada Mia, Shibchar leader KhalilurRahmanThanduChowdhury, Shariatpur BNP president TM Giasuddin, ShafikurRahmanKiron, and several other prominent political figures.

I explained that, if the decision was to be reversed, a large-scale public movement would be necessary.

Under the banner of the “Padma Bridge Implementation Council”, they would need to blockade the Dhaka-Mawa highway with hundreds of thousands of people for several days in order to demonstrate the strength of public opinion.

The movement began almost immediately. A committee was formed with former minister TM Giasuddin as chairman and my former colleague MujiburMadbor as member secretary.

The Dhaka-Mawa highway was shut down as processions, rallies, and demonstrations continued day and night. Public gatherings spread across the region, culminating in a massive rally at Char Janajat in Shibchar.

Millions of people from 21 districts – including Barishal, Barguna, Faridpur, and the Khulna region – participated.

The movement united people from different political parties, ideologies, and social backgrounds. Even local and national leaders of the opposition Awami League attended the gathering.

Jamaat-e-Islami leader and MP AllamaDelawarHossainSayeedi also addressed the rally. Because of his presence, Awami League leader AbdurRazzak, despite earlier assurances, did not attend personally, although he sent representatives.

Another major rally was later organised in Barishal. The demand remained singular and unequivocal: the Padma Bridge must be built through Mawa.

For several days, southern Bangladesh was effectively cut off from Dhaka. Roads remained blocked while demonstrations continued uninterrupted.

Intelligence agencies closely monitored the situation and regularly briefed the government.

As pressure mounted, Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia summoned Communications Minister Nazmul Huda and demanded an explanation for how the matter had escalated so dramatically.

Eventually, following discussions with the Padma Bridge Implementation Council, the Prime Minister accepted the public demand.

The approval summary was not returned to the ministry for revision.

Instead, on 10 March 2004, Begum Khaleda Zia personally crossed out the word “Aricha” and wrote “Mawa Point”, thereby granting final approval for construction of the Padma Bridge at Mawa.

Following the decision, all project documentation was amended accordingly. JICA later undertook the drawings, design work, and detailed planning.

During this period, the project’s Land Acquisition Plan (LAP), Resettlement Action Plan (RAP), and Environmental Management Plan (EMP) were completed.

At the time, the estimated cost of the Padma Bridge project stood at Tk 12,000 crore.

The feasibility study also prepared the basic design for a double-decker bridge incorporating a railway line.

Parliament subsequently passed legislation regarding land acquisition, while the government allocated funds from its own resources to begin the acquisition process.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia also addressed Parliament regarding the project’s progress and later travelled to Mawa and Shibchar to lay the foundation stone herself.

The decision, however, was not without opposition. Following the announcement, residents of Rajbari and Manikganj launched their own movement demanding that the bridge be constructed through Aricha instead.

In response, the Prime Minister travelled to Rajbari and assured a public rally that a second Padma Bridge would one day be constructed through Aricha.

Looking back, the events surrounding the bridge’s location represent a remarkable chapter in Bangladesh’s political and developmental history.

As a government official, the actions I took at the time may not have entirely conformed to bureaucratic norms.

Yet I believed an unjust decision was being imposed upon a neglected region.

In order to establish the legitimacy of the people’s demand, certain strategies became necessary.

I acted from a sense of responsibility towards the region where I was born and raised. Whether those actions were ultimately right or wrong is a judgement history may one day make.

What remains undeniable, however, is the transformative impact of the Padma Bridge on southern Bangladesh.

A project initially estimated at around Tk 12,000 crore was eventually completed by the succeeding government at a cost approaching Tk 40,000 crore, amid widespread allegations of corruption.

Many speeches have since been delivered about the bridge, but the story of how it came to Mawa deserves to be remembered.

The Padma Bridge was not simply an infrastructure project; it was the result of determined public mobilisation and regional aspiration.

Without that movement in 2004, it is difficult to imagine the bridge being built at Mawa-Shariatpur at all.

The people of Shariatpur, Madaripur, Faridpur, Munshiganj, Barishal, Khulna, and the wider southern belt therefore remain partners in that historic achievement.

Today, the bridge stands not merely as a structure of steel and concrete, but as a symbol of how public determination reshaped the developmental destiny of an entire region.

(The writer is former Senior Secretary who served as personal secretary to Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia).