Chief Representative's Speech

Honorable Minister, Mr. Obaidul Quader, Minister for Road Transport and Bridges,

H.E Mr. Naoki Ito, Ambassador, Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh

Mr. Nazrul Islam, Secretary, Road Transport and Highways Division,

Mr. Ashraful Alam, Chief Engineer, Roads and Highways Department

Distinguished Guests, Officials of the Government of Bangladesh, Representatives from Consultants and Contractors,

Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Morning

Ami Shurute Mujib Shotobosho Jonno Shubo Kamona Janai.

It is a great pleasure for me to be here at the Project completion Ceremony of the 2nd Kanchpur, Meghna and Gumti Bridges Construction Project and existing bridges rehabilitation. This Project is one of the "Flagship' cooperation between Japan and Bangladesh.

I would like to express my warm greetings, sincere thanks and congratulations to the Roads and Highways Department, Consultants; Oriental Consultants, JBSI, Katahira Engineers, Nippon Engineering, and SMEC International and Japanese Contractors OSJI JV; Obayashi, Shimizu, JFE and IHI infrastructure who completed the KMG Bridge construction and rehabilitation on time with a high standard of construction.

A bridge connects separate lands, and in doing so, it connects people. For many years, JICA has worked on bridge projects in Bangladesh, helping to bring people together.

One of the first project of JICA was for a bridge over the Jamuna River. In 1973, responding to a request from Prime Minister Mujibur Rahman, JICA started a feasibility study for the Jamuna Bridge. Many Bangladeshi and Japanese engineers and professionals worked together, overcoming many challenges and obstacles, to construct this dream project which was completed in 1998.

The existing Meghna and Gumti Bridges are two more examples of bridges built with the support of Japanese grant aid in the 1990s.

The Kanchpur, Meghna and Gumti bridges connect Dhaka and Chittagong on National Highway 1, the most important economic corridor of Bangladesh. The Dhaka-Chittagong Corridor is not only a vital corridor of Bangladesh but also an important part of an Asian Highway which will improve regional connectivity.

In May 2014, in the Japan–Bangladesh Comprehensive Partnership, Prime Minister Abe and Prime Minister Hasina announced the "Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt" (BIG-B). The BIG-B is going to create an industrial belt along Dhaka-Chittagong-Cox's Bazaar and beyond. The Kanchpur, Meghna and Gumti bridges will play vital roles in upgrading the Dhaka-Chittagong corridor and contribute to creating a new industrial growth center in Mathabari about half the size of Singapore.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am happy to inform you that this Project has adopted Japanese cutting-edge technology for long term sustainability and reducing the recurrent operation and maintenance cost. Scouring in the river is one of the typical problems in Bangladesh. To address this issue, Steel Pipe Sheet Pile (SPSP) Foundation was introduced first time in Bangladesh to construct strong bridges and to protect the old bridges foundation from the scouring. Also, Japan's steel narrow box-girder technology ensured high quality and short period construction. The knowledge of advance technology were also transferred to local engineers.

Distinguished Gussets,

In talking about the Khanchipur, Meghna and Gumti project, I can't avoid touching on the 2016 July 1st incident which not only took the lives of many people, but also seriously affected the progress of the project. At that time, the Government of Bangladesh provided extraordinary support to ensure the security of the Japanese engineers and professionals deployed at the project site. I would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to the Government of Bangladesh and Police for their supports which were given to our activities. Although the security issue suspended work for 3 months, the 3 bridges have been completed as scheduled. I feel proud of the fact that Obayashi Shimizu JFE IHI JV, collaborating closely with RHD officers and consultants managed a timely completion without compromising quality. This is another good example of Japanese and Bangladeshi engineers and professionals working together to overcome challenges and obstacles to reach a successful outcome.

I would like to conclude my remarks by thanking all those who have contributed to building of Kanchpur Meghna and Gumti bridges.

Bangladesh Japaner Bondon Chirozibi Hok

Shobaike Onek Donnobad. Thank you very much.