PM inaugurates India’s longest bridge in Assam

Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the country’s longest Rail-cum-Road as well as Railway Bridge, over the Brahmaputra river in Dibrugarh district of eastern Assam.

Addressing the large gathering on the occasion, the PM regretted the delay in construction of the bridge, and said that Bogibeel bridge is not just a bridge, it is a lifeline connecting the lives of millions of people in the region besides reducing the distance between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

“About 16 years ago, Atal Ji came here. He had a vision for the development of the Bogibeel Bridge. This Bridge is also a tribute to his vision. When Vajpayee ji’s Government lost power in 2004, several key infrastructure projects of his era were not completed,” he said adding that if Mr Vajpayee had a second term, Bogibeel Bridge would have been ready by 2008-09.

Pointing out that around 5,500 km national highways are being constructed in northeast at a cost of Rs 70,000 crore, Mr Modi said, “Things have changed after May 2014, topmost priority has been accorded to key projects. Delayed infrastructure projects were adversely impacting India’s development trajectory. We accelerated the key projects and worked towards their quick completion,” Mr Modi said adding, “Earlier governments managed to construct three bridges over Brahmaputra in past 60 year. We completed the construction of three bridges including the Bogibeel bridge in 4.5 years.”