Munshiganj: A meeting of secretaries of different ministries was held on the bank of the Padma River on Saturday, the first of its kind outside the capital, with special focus on different aspects of the much-hyped Padma multipurpose bridge project.

Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan chaired the meeting held at the conference room of Padma Bridge service-area-1 at Dogachi in Sreenagar uapzila. A total of 58 secretaries attended the meeting.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Musharraf Hossain said discussions were held on various issues, including the Padma Bridge, at the two and half-hour long meeting.

He said the meeting was held here to ensure coordination among the ministries concerned and bring dynamism in the project work.

‘Although the Bridges Ministry has been implementing the project, it’s a project of all ministries, it’s a project of all irrespective of party and opinion, it’s a project of pride,’ Musharaf said.

‘As the construction work on the Jamuna Bridge was completed before the stipulated time, so it is expected that the Padma Bridge work will be finished before 2018,’ he said.

‘We’ll have to conduct research over the country’s economy and communication system after the implementation of the project. We will have to take projects for the development of the two sides of the bridge,’ he added.

Responding to a question at the briefing, Road Transport and Bridge secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam said the piling of the main parts of the Padma Bridge project will start at the end of December this year if weather remains favourable for the work.