Workers in Bogibeel are working day and night to give final touches before the inauguration of the bridge by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25.
After the inauguration of the bridge, India will step forward to end up the long communication bottleneck between the two neighbouring states Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
The bridge will be a huge boost to the country’s security infrastructure as security forces will be able to transport personnel and equipment swiftly to Arunachal Pradesh, security officials believe.
The bridge will mobilize defense troops in a very short time to Arunachal Pradesh if any crisis situation arises between the two neighboring countries India and China.
Bogibeel bridge is the longest rail cum road bridge spanning 4.94 km on river Brahmaputra which will play a vital role in mobilizing the defense troops in the bordering areas of India.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
“The Bogibeel bridge will play a crucial role to neutralize threat coming from China’s side. In a very short time, the Indian Army can reach the bordering areas of Arunachal Pradesh through Bogibeel bridge. Not only defense point of view but the Bogibeel Bridge will immensely help the two neighbouring states to end up the long communication bottleneck,” said Rupak Bhattacharjee, a political commentator.
“For the mobilization of our troops, the bridge will play an important role by curtailing long hours. We have to cross the Brahmaputra from Bogibeel ghat but after the opening of the bridge, we have easily passed through the bridge in any time. We can easily take away our equipment at any time,” said a security official.
Situated 17-km downstream of Dibrugarh town, the Bogibeel bridge is the fourth bridge over the Brahmaputra that will connect Dibrugarh and Dhemaji districts.
The foundation stone of the bridge was laid almost 21 years ago by ex-PM HD Deve Gowda on January 22, 1997. On April 21, 2002 former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurated the construction work of the mega project.
Raju Sharma, a resident of Dibrugarh said, “The bridge has strategic importance because it will connect major cities of Arunachal Pradesh through Dibrugarh. It will also connect the railway linkages to Arunachal Pradesh from Dibrugarh and the defense personnel can easily take away their equipment through rail network. The bridge will ease up the communication bottleneck between the two states.”
Due to revised deadlines, the project cost had shot up from the initial Rs 1,767 crore to Rs 5,800 crore. Having already missed several deadlines over the years, the multi-crore bridge has earned the unflattering tag of the slowest moving infrastructure project of the Northeastern region.
The bridge is set up 32 meters above the bed level of the Brahmaputra. The double-decked bridge features two railway lines on the lower deck and a 3-lane road on the upper deck flanked by footpaths on each side.
The mega bridge apart from playing a strategic role in securing the country’s eastern borders is expected to fast-track the region’s economy. Bogibeel bridge is India’s first and only fully welded bridge construction adhering to European codes and welding standards.
“The superstructure has been constructed using a special grade copper-bearing steel plate to reduce corrosion. To further reduce corrosion due to excessive humidity, a complex corrosion protection system specific to different components of the bridge has been implemented,” RVR Kishore, project director of Hindustan Construction Co.Ltd. said.