DHAKA, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi cabinet announced Monday it will start construction work of the country's much- talked-about Padma Multipurpose Bridge, a project expected to cost 3 billion U.S. dollars, without the fund support from the World Bank.

The decision came more than a week after the World Bank cancelled its 1.2 billion U. dollars credit for the project with immediate effect, citing a corruption conspiracy among Bangladeshi government officials.

The cabinet meeting with Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina in the chair made the decision. After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters, "The government will not send any more requests to the World Bank for its funding. But (they are) most welcome if they realize their mistake and offers to finance it."

Hasina in her parliament speech Sunday night hinted at the decision to build the bridge with its own funds, saying the construction work would begin in the current fiscal year (July 2012-June 13) and it is be completed within 2015-16 fiscal year ( July 2015-June 2016).

"We will not bow to anybody. We can in no way accept the huge damage the World Bank has done to Bangladesh on lame excuses. No Bangalee can accept the allegation of corruption by the World Bank when not a single penny was released for the project," she was quoted as saying in her parliament speech by leading local newspaper The Daily Star.

Bengalee people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal which is now divided between Bangladesh and India in South Asia.

Criticizing the Washington-based lender for delaying her government's efforts to build the bridge, she said the country's finance minister will be asked to seek compensation from the bank as the construction cost has increased due to the delay.

Hasina also accused the bank of instigating other lending agencies, including Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank and Jica, not to provide funds for the bridge project.

The World Bank last month cancelled its funding for the project, saying it had "credible evidence corroborated by a variety of sources which points to a high-level corruption conspiracy among Bangladeshi government officials, (Canadian engineering firm) SNC- Lavalin executives and private individuals in connection with the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project."

"In light of the inadequate response by the Bangladeshi government, the World Bank has decided to cancel its 1.2 billion U. S. dollars IDA credit in support of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project, effective immediately. "

Bangladeshi Finance Minister AMA Muhith, who called upon the bank to reconsider its decision, said in a statement last week, " It is not correct when they (the World Bank) say they have presented credible evidence about corruption in the Padma Bridge project and we did not take any step in this regard."

"We're ready to accept (the bank's decision) if investigation finds corruption. Proven corruption and possibility of corruption are not the same. Investigation is still underway but we have been punished," said Bangladeshi Communications Minster Obaidul Quader who also urged the bank to review its decision.

It seems Bangladesh changed its mind later as the new World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim, on his first day in office last week announced that he was backing the bank's recent decision to halt the organization's involvement in Bangladesh's bridge project because of documented corruption.

Against this backdrop, Bangladeshi prime minister from her parliament speech in a live broadcast disclosed her mobile numbers and asked people across the country to inform her about any allegation of corruption.

On Sunday, Hasina informed the parliament that she had received a huge response from people at home and abroad while most of the callers extended their supports for her stance on the World Bank issue.

The 10 km-long bridge will be built over Padma River, one of the three biggest rivers in Bangladesh. About 6.15 km of the bridge will be built over the river while the remaining part on both banks of the river.

Apart from connecting nearly 30 million people in Bangladesh's southwest region to the rest of the country, the bridge will enhance regional trade and collaboration along the Asian highway No.1 and the Trans-Asian railway network systems.