Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told the parliament today that the
‘conspirators’ of the Padma bridge project will be tried under the
country’s existing laws.
“The Anti-Corruption Commission has carried out an investigation
against those who were engaged in a conspiracy to create obstacles
towards implementing the Padma bridge project,” the PM said.
In a reply to lawmakers’ queries, the PM however said the allegations
of corruption conspiracies in the Padma bridge project raised by the
World Bank has been proved to be baseless through an investigation by
the ACC.
While replying to a query by Jatiya Party lawmaker Kazi Firoz Rashid,
the PM said her government has plans to extend gas pipelines to the
southern parts of the country, phase by phase depending on the
availability of gas and funds for the pipeline extension.
The premier added that there is a provision for the construction of a
30inch diameter gas pipeline within the Padma bridge project which has
been financed by the Bangladesh government.
In reply to another query, the PM informed the House that the
government has planned to equip 62,000 Urban Search And Rescue
Volunteers (USARV) for successful rescue operations after any natural
calamities, such as earthquakes.
In another reply, the PM also said the government has already trained 30,000 of the 62,000 volunteers.
There will be three USARV teams operating in Dhaka division and one
each in Chittagong, Sylhet, Barisal, Khulna, Rajshahi and Rangpur
divisions, she also said.
The number of Fire Service and Civil Defence stations in the country
will be increased from 310 to 552 and the workforce will be doubled, the
PM added.