Padma Bridge: A display of local industries prowess

Bangladesh’s construction of the Padma Bridge with its own funding has boosted national confidence. The longest bridge in Bangladesh has also given local industries an opportunity to show their skills to both local and global audiences.

Some of the key ingredients used in building the bridge are made in Bangladesh, and local industries supplied the construction materials.

Padma Bridge- A display of local industries prowess

The construction of the main structure of the project used about 92,000 tonnes of steel. Local millers supplied most of the steel, with BSRM alone accounting for 96 per cent of the total.

Dewan Abdul Quader, executive engineer of the bridge project, says the local companies have contributed a lot to the bridge’s construction and they have also received a major boost.

Around 30 per cent of the contribution to this project came from local sources. The main contribution of the local companies was in supplying rods, cement, sands and stones in the river training, building approach roads on both sides of the bridge, and other infrastructures related to the mega project.

Construction for the 6.15-kilometre bridge began in November 2014. The bridge will connect 21 districts in the southwestern region to the rest of Bangladesh after its inauguration tomorrow. The cost for the bridge was nearly Tk 30,200 crore. The bridge is expected to spur Bangladesh’s economic growth through increased connectivity and economic activities.

Tapan Sengupta, deputy managing director at BSRM Group of Companies, said more than 95 per cent of the rod was supplied by BSRM. He credited the quality of products produced by the company for it being selected to meet the demand for the key construction material.

We were chosen for this project because of our company’s ability to deliver quality products and services, as well as our capability to manufacture products locally. The Padma Bridge is the pride of the country, and we’re proud to have supplied locally manufactured rods for such a prestigious project. Sengupta went on to say that there were no complaints about BSRM products from the construction firm.

Despite difficulties posed by lockdowns, the company kept its factory open in order to guarantee an uninterrupted supply for the mega project.

About 2.5 lakh tonnes of cement were used in the main structure of Padma Bridge and all of them came from domestic sources.

Of the volume, Scan Cement provided around 2.25 lakh tonnes alone.

Bashundhara Cement, Crown Cement, Abul Khair Group’s Shah Cement and Seven Circle Group’s Seven Rings Cement have also supplied the item to complete the construction of various components of the bridge.

Sayef Nasir, director of sales for HeidelbergCement Bangladesh, said that his company’s materials were used in the columns of the main structure for the Padma Bridge.

“Our quality was the key parameter for being selected as a supplier of cement,” he said.

Premier Cement Mills Ltd supplied cement to the bridge project along with the undergoing Padma Rail Link Project.

“Padma Bridge is a milestone project. We are proud to be part of it,” said Mohammed Amirul Haque, managing director of Premier Cement Mills Ltd.

The Padma Bridge used a variety of locally-sourced materials, including steel, cement and cables. BRB Cable Industries Ltd, the largest cable manufacturer in the country, supplied a range of different types of cables for the project.

“We have been supplying cables for the last three years,” said Rafiqul Islam Rony, director of sales of the company.

The supplies can be valued at around Tk 30 crore.

“We are really proud that we could participate in the making of such a big project. We really feel good when we see lights illuminating the bridge using our cables,” Rony said.

In addition, locally made pipes were used in the bridge.

RFL Group supplied high-density polyethylene and PVC cable ducting pipe and zinc-coated w-beam guardrail, said RN Paul, its managing director.