Finance Minister AMA Muhith said that the government has been continuing talks with the World Bank on financing the Padma Bridge project and it will place a proposal after it gets confirmed that it would not be turned down.

He, although, declined to comment on how was the government hopeful

of getting the fund from the donor organisation for the project. The minister was replying queries from journalists at his secretariat office Wednesday.

"All I can say now is that we are continuing our talks with the World Bank about financing the Padma Bridge project. We are hoping that they will fund it,” he added.

The Minister further said he did not want to comment on the matter when it was under discussion. “I can say this much that their scrapping of the deal was wrong,” he, however, said.

The Washington-based lender in June last cancelled its promised loan of $1.2 billion for the country's biggest-ever infrastructure project alleging corruption. After that, the government decided to construct the bridge over the river Padma with its own resources. But the Finance Minister has been trying to bring back the global lender to finance the infrastructure project.

Before the Eid holidays, Muhith had commented that the allegation the World Bank raised tarnished Bangladesh's image in the international arena. "We have to recover it (the image). It would be easier to recover it if the World Bank finances the project," he added.

When asked whether any letter was sent requesting the global lender to reconsider its decision, Muhith said, "We will issue a letter when we will realise that our proposal will not be turned down."

News: Daily Sun/Bangladesh/23-Aug-12