Road Infrastructure transformation in the North East
Just a decade ago, for a common man to travel to Arunachal would take about a week’s time. It would involve an absolutely unenviable journey through barely built roads in a tightly packed jeep, crossing the rivers in a boat, and in some cases, even riding an elephant too.
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Infrastructure and especially road infrastructure is absolutely crucial for any region’s development. And if that particular region is landlocked, the importance of road goes sky high.
Just a decade ago, for a common man to travel to Arunachal would take about a week’s time. It would involve an absolutely unenviable journey through barely built roads in a tightly packed jeep, crossing the rivers in a boat, and in some cases, even riding an elephant too. That was the infrastructure situation of North East India just over a decade ago. Now, in 2022, the North East has seen unrecognizable transformation when it comes to infrastructure development in the region. We will look at just two bridges to get an idea of how many such bridges and good quality roads have transformed North East India.
The Bhupen Hazarika Setu also referred to as the Dhola–Sadiya Bridge, is a beam bridge in India, connecting the northeast states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The bridge spans the Lohit River, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra River, from the village of Dhola (Tinsukia District) in the south to Sadiya to the north. The bridge is the first permanent road connection between northern Assam and eastern Arunachal Pradesh. At 9.15 kilometers (5.69 mi) in length, it is the longest bridge in India over water. However, the 9.76 kilometers (6.06 mi) Kacchi Dargah–Bidupur Bridge under construction in the Indian state of Bihar is expected to become the longest bridge in India upon its estimated completion in July 2023. With the rapid movement of India's defense assets in mind following incursions by the Chinese Army, the Dhola–Sadiya Bridge has been designed to handle the weight of 60-tonne (130,000-pound) tanks such as the Indian Army's Arjun and T-72 main battle tanks.
Since the Sino-Indian War, China has disputed India's claim to Arunachal Pradesh, politically and militarily, along the Line of Actual Control, making the bridge an important tactical asset in the ongoing dispute. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways started a feasibility study of the project in August 2003 after demands from local constituents. In January 2009, the bridge was approved for construction with funding from the Government of India as part of the Arunachal Pradesh Package of Roads and Highways. Construction began in November 2011 as a public-private partnership with Navayuga Engineering Company, with expected completion in 2015. However, due to construction delays and cost increases, the bridge's completion date was pushed into 2017. The project cost around ₹1,000 crores (equivalent to ₹12 billion or US$156 million in 2020) and construction took over five years to complete. It is 3.55 kilometers (2.21 mi) longer than the Bandra Worli Sea Link in Mumbai, making it the longest bridge in India. The bridge was inaugurated on 26 May 2017 by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitin Gadkari (Minister of Road Transport and Highways). The bridge is named after Bhupen Hazarika an artist and filmmaker from Assam. Now, let's talk about Bogibeel Bridge.
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The Bogibeel Bridge is a combined road and rail bridge over the Brahmaputra River in the northeastern Indian state of Assam between Dhemaji district and Dibrugarh district, which was started in the year 2002 and took a total of 200 months to complete, Bogibeel river bridge is the longest rail-cum-road bridge in India, measuring 4.94 kilometers over the Brahmaputra river. As it is situated in an earthquake-prone area it is India's first bridge to have fully welded steel-concrete support beams that can withstand earthquakes of magnitudes up to 7 on the Richter scale. It is Asia's second longest rail-cum-road bridge and has a serviceable period of around 120 years. It is the 5th longest bridge in India after Bhupen Hazarika Setu, Dibang River Bridge, Mahatma Gandhi Setu, and Bandra–Worli Sea Link. The bridge was constructed by a consortium of construction companies headed by Hindustan Construction Company. The bridge has a double rail line on the lower deck and a three-lane road on the upper deck.
It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 December 2018 on the occasion of Good Governance Day. The Bogibeel Bridge, situated 17 km downstream of Dibrugarh and Dhemaji, spans the Brahmaputra River and will connect the town of Dibrugarh in the south to Dhemaji to the river's north. The bridge is located just over 20 km away from the Assam- Arunachal Pradesh border and acts as an alternative to the Kolia Bhomora Setu, Tezpur in providing connectivity to nearly five million people residing in Upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
The Bogibeel Bridge is the longest rail-cum-road bridge in India on the Brahmaputra River in Assam. Owing to its location, the bridge is of strategic importance to India as it significantly eases India's ability to transport troops and supplies to the border with Tibet in Arunachal Pradesh. Being located in an area of intense rainfall, its construction had been significantly slowed down by the fact that construction largely took place only during a period of four dry months between November and March. The bridge traces its origins to the Assam Accord of 1985 and was one of several major infrastructural projects to be set up in Assam in accordance with the pact. It was sanctioned by the Government of India in 1997-98 and was expected to be completed by the end of the Ninth Five Year Plan. The foundation of the bridge was laid in January 1997 by Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda, but its construction was inaugurated only in 2002 by Prime Minister, A. B. Vajpayee. The project was to be completed in six years following the inauguration, however, the work did not begin until 2007, owing to a lack of funds and attention. Consequently, that same year, the Bogibeel Bridge was granted a national project status by the Government of India 2007 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but the implementation was slow, notwithstanding a Congress government in Assam. Accordingly, the Union Ministry of Finance funded 75% of the project costs while the Ministry of Railways financed the rest. The actual work on the project only began in 2011. In April 2008, the Northeast Frontier Railway contracted Gammon India to construct the substructure of the bridge while a consortium of Hindustan Construction Company, DSD Brückenbau GmbH, Germany, and VNR Infrastructures won the bid to build the superstructure.
Finally, on 2 December 2018, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bogibeel bridge.
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These two bridges alone have changed the face of the North East to a large extent. But these are not stand-alone examples of infrastructure development. As FM Nirmala Sitharaman has said, the Modi Government has invested over 1 lakh 34 thousand crores for the development of infrastructure in the North East. This infrastructure has the capacity to transform the North East from being one of the most impoverished regions of India to the most prosperous region.