Bogibeel Bridge, Assam, is India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge, and the fifth
bridge built over the river Brahmaputra. This 4.94 kilometer long bridge connects
Dibrugarh to Jonai (the south and north banks of Brahmaputra, negating a
diversion through the Tinsukia region), and has a set of distinctive features that
makes it an important strategic vantage point for the trade and tourism scene of
Assam, especially when it comes to reducing cost of goods and services.
Significance of Bogibeel Bridge
Addressing the crowds on the 25th, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the importance of this bridge and the strategic locational advantage it offers, which would help make many people’s dream come true due to the reduced time it would take for someone to reach remote parts of India. This would further facilitate the advent of medical tourism as well as improve the speed at which the military might travel, thus, increasing the security quotient of the country.
It also connects the Dhemaji districts of Assam with Dibrugarh, making it more accessible, and therefore, a viable option for development and the growth of commerce. During the inauguration, indications of significant growth of real estate and commerce was made, not to mention provision of more jobs and business, thanks to the ease of access to these otherwise remote regions.
It was also indicated that this bridge would develop a good relationship with neighbouring state Arunachal Pradesh, where people would be able to travel to Kolkata or Delhi with greater ease, as Dibrugarh Airport becomes more accessible.
The bridge is sturdy enough to launch fighter planes, and cuts down the travelling time from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh by over 10 hours, and also reduces the time it takes for people from remote parts of Arunachal Pradesh to come to Dibrugarh.
This is because the bridge essentially cuts the distance between Itanagar and Dibrugarh by about 150 km, which is also significant for the growth of tourism and trade.
A Mammoth Construction Task
The project obtained approval of the federal Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs (CCEA) in September 1997 and construction began in April 2002.
For the purpose of building the bridge, Indian Railways had to construct the
expanse of the Brahmaputra river from 10 kilometres to 5 kilometres. This
involved construction of ‘guide bunds’. Over 2 million tons of boulders were
collected from the vicinity of the project and from the river bank over a period of 6
years. The guide bund on the southern bank is about 2 km long while the one of the
north bank is around 2.8 km long. The project required about 505 hectare of land,
which was acquired across 19 villages. Major earthworks and strengthening of the
north and south dykes were completed by June 2011.
The state-owned consultancy and project management enterprise Rites (Rail India
Technical and Engineering Services) undertook the pre-construction studies, geo-
technical investigations and detailed design of the rail-road bridge. Bhartia Infra
constructed the guide bunds and approach embankments. Gammon India built the
foundations and pillars (substructure) of the bridge between 2008 and 2016.
Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) constructed the superstructure of the
bridge from 2012 till the end of 2018. This is the fifth bridge constructed on
Brahmaputra and HCC holds distinction of constructing three out these five
bridges.
The massive bridge has two decks – the lower deck consists of two railway tracks
while the upper deck has a three lane road. The bridge is extremely significant in
its location, as it reduces the travelling time from Arunachal Pradesh, especially
certain remote areas of the region, significantly, and further reduces the time it
takes to travel to the borders of China.
Final Thoughts
Bogibeel Bridge was sanctioned by the then Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda, finished during the Narendra Modi regime, and formally opened on 25th December, 2018, a day that also indicated the birth anniversary of recently deceased ex-Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who passed away in August, 2018. This bridge is going to be a strong resource when planning military strategies strengthening the borders in the Eastern parts of India, and major architectural achievement for HCC.
Disclaimer: Poorna Banerjee was invited to the opening of Bogibeel Bridge by HCC.
2 Responses
The bridge is great but it wastn BJP who made it. they are taking credit only. Devegowda planned it.
Interesting read.