The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) has earned Tk 34.29 billion in toll revenue from the Padma Multipurpose Bridge by facilitating the movement of 26.86 million vehicles over the past four years, enabling it to repay its loan instalments on time.
The country's longest bridge over the Padma River was opened to traffic on June 26, 2022, following the completion of the 6.15-kilometre road-cum-rail bridge under a Tk 307.70 billion project, establishing direct connectivity with the country's southwestern region.
According to the BBA, it has so far paid Tk 25.16 billion to the national exchequer in 16 loan instalments under its agreement with the Finance Division to repay a Tk 360 billion government loan.
The BBA constructed the bridge with government financing and committed to repaying the loan in 140 instalments over 35 years at an interest rate of 1.0 per cent.
Of the total repayment, Tk 4.36 billion has been paid as 15 per cent value-added tax (VAT) on the tolls collected.
With these repayments, the autonomous agency has settled around 7.0 per cent of the total loan amount.
Bridge Secretary and BBA Executive Director Mohammad Abdur Rouf said the authority has no arrears with the government, as it has been able to repay the loan instalments on time due to toll revenue generated from the expected volume of traffic.
smunima@yahoo.com