Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the Bogibeel bridge, India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge, connecting Assam’s Dibrugarh on the south bank to Dehamji in the north.
The 4.9km-long bridge, which witnessed several protests and missed deadlines, will not only improve connectivity between the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra River, but also help the economic development of the region and strengthen the defence movement along the India-China frontiers.
"The bridge will enhance the national security of the eastern region by facilitating swift movement of defence forces and their equipment. It was constructed in such a way that even a fighter jet can land on it in case of emergency," a defence source said.
"The biggest advantage of the bridge will be easy movement of troops from southern to northern bank. This means travelling to the farthest most point of India's border with China will be shortened by several hundred kilometres," he added.
The foundation stone of the project was laid by former prime minister H D Deve Gouda on January 22, 1997, while work commenced on April 21, 2002 under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government. December 25 happens to be Vajpayee's birth anniversary.
The Bogibeel Bridge over river Brahmaputra is situated 17 km downstream of Dibrugarh city in Assam, and it has been constructed for double-line broad gauge track along with three-lane roads, he said.
"This bridge will be the lifeline of the north eastern part of the country and will facilitate connectivity between north and south banks of river Brahmaputra in the eastern region of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
"The remote districts of Anjaw, Changlang, Lohit, Lower Dibang Valley, Dibang Valley and Tirap of Arunachal Pradesh will be greatly benefited," Sharma said.
Here's all that you need to know about the bridge:
- It is India's longest rail-cum-road bridge, at a length of 4.94 kilometres. Before this, the Vembanad Bridge in Kerala was the longest in the country, at a length of 4.62 kilometres. However, Dr Bhupen Hazarika Bridge that connects Assam and Arunachal Pradesh is still the longest bridge in India, road or rail, at a total length of 9.15 kilometres.
- The bridge spans from Dibrugarh in Assam to Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh. As a result, the travel by road will get reduced by 150 kilometres, while rail travel will get reduced by 705 kilometres.
- The bridge has been built at an estimated cost of Rs 5960 crores against the initial sanctioned cost of Rs 3230 crores, a hike of at least 85 per cent.
- To build the bridge, approximately 3 million bags of cement, around 19250 tonnes of reinforcement steel and around 2800 tonnes of structural steel was used to construct the structure. The lower deck of the railway track has double line broad gauge tracks, while the upper deck of the bridge is a three-lane road.
- This is the fourth bridge to be built on the Brahmaputra, the others being the Naranarayan Setu, Kolia Bhomora Setu and Bhupen Hazarika Setu.
A defence source said that because of the technology used to build the bridge, the India Air Force will have three landing strips.
(With inputs from agencies)
