Construction of the 5.58 kilometre long bridge at Maoa-Jajera point, costing around $1.35 billion, will be the biggest ever project in the country and contribute to better communications of the southern and western parts of the country with the capital, Dhaka.

"We have got a positive response from the donors for the project and we want to start land acquisition from this month so that the project could be started earlier and implemented expeditiously," the communications minister said.

The construction of the bridge is scheduled to start in October 2008 and finish in 2013.

The World Bank and other multi national donor agencies will sit very soon to mobilise the fund for the project, the minister said, adding that the government is also contemplating collecting money from share markets through forming a company.

The project concept paper (PCP) was submitted to the planning ministry, and the Economic Relations Division is negotiating with the bilateral and multilateral donors for funding the project, the meeting said, adding that Asian Development Bank and Japan Bank of International Cooperation already agreed to finance the project.

The government expects a major declaration from Tokyo about Japan's contribution for the project during Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's upcoming visit next month.

The meeting also decided to conduct an economic and environmental survey on the project sites and to make a video record of the existing land condition so that the unscrupulous people can not take advantage of the government's land acquisition.

A separate division for the Padma bridge headed by a secretary will also be set up under the Ministry of Communications for quick implementation of the project.

Last month, the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) submitted its report after conducting a technical and economic survey on the bridge, which will also have rail, power, gas and telephone lines.

The JICA is now formulating the detailed design of the bridge to be submitted in 2007.