PM inaugurates India’s longest river bridge, started by UPA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the Dhola-Sadia Bridge, the country's longest river bridge, over the Lohit river a tributary of Brahmaputra in the eastern most tip of Assam connecting Arunachal Pradesh.

Incidentally, the construction of the Dhola-Sadiya bridge had began in 2011 by the then UPA government led by Manmohan Singh.

Though the Prime Minister did not go into who had began work on the ₹2,056-crore strategic bridge at Sadia in Assam's Tinsukia district, after inaugurating it, Modi walked a short distance over it. A vehicle carrying the prime minister, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Minister Sarbanada Sonowal and other senior government officials then passed over it.

The total length of the Dhola-Sadiya bridge project, including the approach roads on each side, is 28.50 km. It is 3.55 km longer than the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai. It also has a three-lane carriage way and seismic buffers in all its 182 pier. It connects Sadia town in Assam's Tinsukia district with Dhola village in Arunachal Pradesh across the river.

The bridge will reduce travel time between strategically located Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by four hours as the earlier means of transport was only by river.

Bearing in mind the necessity for quick movement of troops and artillery to the bordering state of Arunachal, the bridge has been designed to accommodate the movement of tanks, say officials.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government has decided to name the bridge after Assam’s revered singer artist, Bhupen Hazarika, who sang the glory of the river in the country and all over the world.

With inputs from NH Web Desk