Following talks with the World Bank, the Bangladeshi government has announced plans to establish an independent panel to ensure transparency in the bidding and construction of the planned Padma bridge.
“During negotiations, both the parties - the government and World Bank - have agreed on the third party monitoring,” according to Ellen Goldstein, World Bank representative in Dhaka.
The Bangladeshi government will adopt a governance and accountability action plan to help incorporate good governance in project design, improve project supervision and ensure transparency, Goldstein was cited by The Financial Express as saying.
The Washington-based development agency is lending USD1.2 billion for the USD2.93 billion project. The Asian Development Bank, Japan and the Islamic Development Bank have also committed to fund the project.
