Bangladesh embassy in Rome celebrates Padma Bridge opening

The Bangladesh embassy in Italy's Rome on Saturday arranged a special programme to celebrate the grand opening of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge, the country's biggest-ever self-financed project, simultaneously with countrywide events.

Expatriate Bangladeshis in Italy, representatives of their different social and cultural organisations, freedom fighters and media personnel took part in the event, said a press release.

"Padma Bridge is a pride of Bangladesh, a sign of self-reliance. The self-financed project could be implemented thanks to the bold stance and strong leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," Md Shameem Ahsan, Bangladesh ambassador to Italy said while addressing the programme.

He thanked all the participants and greeted Bangladesh on the occasion of such a big achievement.

Mentioning the bridge would change the fate of the people of 21 southwestern districts, he added that regional connectivity and trade would be enhanced to a great extent.

The programme also featured recorded speeches of President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and a documentary on the newly-built bridge. The participants also enjoyed the live telecasting of the inauguration event, reads the release.