Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will formally inaugurate the Padma Barrage project between January and March next year, Water Resources Minister Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee said.
He made the remarks on Friday while inspecting the site of the proposed Padma Barrage project at Habaspur in Pangsha upazila of Rajbari.
Finance and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, State Minister for Water Resources Farhad Hossain Azad, State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyam and MP Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid were present during the visit.
The Water Resources Minister said implementation of the Padma Barrage would bring major economic transformation to 24 southwestern districts, while bringing significant changes to the agriculture and fisheries sectors.
Two hydropower plants, each with a capacity of 113 megawatts, will be built at the Padma Barrage, he said.
The technical study for the project began in 2004 during the tenure of then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Anee said.
He said the necessary manpower had been recruited for the Padma Barrage project and they had already started working.
The government has approved the project at a cost of Tk 34,497 crore, to be funded entirely from domestic sources, he said, adding that the project would be implemented over seven years.
Anee said the proposed Padma Barrage would be 2.1 kilometres long and feature 78 spillway gates, 18 undersluice gates, one navigation lock and two fish passes.
A railway bridge will also be constructed over the barrage, he said.
Water Resources Ministry Secretary Dr AKM Shahabuddin, Bangladesh Water Development Board Director General Md Ruhul Amin, Rajbari Deputy Commissioner Afroza Parvin and District Council Administrator Abdus Salam, among others, were present.
