Padma Bridge Railway link project (PBRLP) walking the extra mile for Bangladeshi people

The Padma Bridge Rail Link project in Bangladesh is the largest infrastructure project and an outcome of the cooperation between the governments of China and Bangladesh, which has been undertaken by CREC in the way of EPC.

This railway line is an important passage connecting the east and west of Bangladesh for passenger and cargo transportation. The project management office has been actively fulfilling its corporate social responsibility in Bangladesh and doing their bits for the welfare of the people of this country ever since it has been mobilized to site on 3 July 2018.

CREC's project management head office required these 7 divisions deployed along the line to take the needs of local people into full consideration when constructing temporary facilities, among which, the Sixth Division (main camp is located in Kashiani, Gopalganj) planned access road and trestle bridges taking local villagers' need of transportation into consideration. Nearly 1 million US dollars have been invested in the construction of more than 20 kilometers of temporary access roads and a more than 100-meter-long temporary bridge. The repair of the steel trestle bridge at CH126 has made it easier for the local people who had to take a detour for four or five kilometers to travel.

The Sixth Division has nearly 50 kilometers of embankment construction that requires sprinkling water. When they found that the farmland near the line in the dry season was seriously lacking in water, they decided to drill wells along the line. Thus, the Sixth Division invested nearly BDT 10 million and drilled more than 200 wells. "We appreciate CREC very much for drilling wells for us and helping us solve the irrigation difficulties of the farmland", the nearby villager Farid expressed his gratitude.

The First Division said that the nearby village road was badly damaged (the main camp is located in Konda, Keraniganj). So, they took the initiative to communicate with the villagers, and together with the local villagers, they built a wide and flat road from the bumpy roads in the surrounding villages.

The project management office also attracted a large number of Bangladeshi technical talents and labors. In accordance with incomplete statistics, more than 600 local professional managers and technicians and 6,000 local villagers were employed during the peak period. Although affected by the epidemic currently, 5,000 local employees are still employed, providing a large number of employment opportunities for the villagers.

Shasin is a local villager hired by the Sixth Division to manage a small vegetable plot. He shared, "The Chinese are very friendly to us and I am very grateful to CREC for providing us with job opportunities." Shasin worked very hard. He was selected as an outstanding Bangladeshi employee for two consecutive years.

Abdullah Al Monsur is a Bangladeshi laboratory worker employed by the Sixth Division. There are 15 Bangladeshi laboratory workers like Abdullah Al Monsur in Unit One of the Sixth Division. "Although the work is very hard, I am grateful to CREC. They taught me how to use advanced test equipment, and I have learned Chinese advanced test technology, accumulated experience, and mastered more work skills", another Bangladeshi laboratory worker Ali shared.

After the coronavirus outbreak, the CREC's project management head office took various steps as well.

When the rogue virus was taking a heavy toll on public lives and wreaking havoc everywhere, many local people, especially those living in the villages, were not aware of the ways to protect and keep themselves safe. CREC's project management office compiled a manual delineating the steps to prevent the virus, which was later distributed among local people to raise awareness and educate them about virus prevention. This has helped many to keep the virus at bay. Moreover, more than 50,000 copies of a letter to surrounding villagers and various publicity documents for the prevention and control of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were printed and given out, and posters were posted at some locations, which greatly improved the awareness of the surrounding villagers on pandemic prevention.

CREC has also donated medical masks, testing reagents, protective clothing, goggles and other epidemic prevention materials among neighbouring villagers, police stations, and military along the line, with a total of 30 million taka funds to help them solve the urgent need of material shortage.

Chinese President Xi Jinping once said that "Friendship, which derives from close contact between the people, holds the key to sound state-to-state relations". CREC upholds this concept and carries the dream of the Bangladeshi people's social and economic development. In order to build the "Dream Road" as soon as possible and benefit the people, CREC is not only a builder of projects, but also a practitioner of social welfare. They will continue to earnestly fulfill their social responsibilities, actively perform social welfare activities, promote China-Bangladesh friendship, and help Bangladeshi people realize their dreams as soon as possible.