On the completion of three years of rule at the Centre, Modi-government started the celebration of Modi-fest on Friday 26 May, with PM Narendra Modi inaugurating India’s longest bridge in Assam. As the new slogan of the party goes “Saath hai, Vishwas hai, ho raha Vikas hai”, Modi is focusing on development.
Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s longest river bridge, the Dhola-Sadiya bridge over the Lohit river, a tributary of Brahmaputra on 26 May. The 9.15 km-long bridge links Dhola in Assam to Sadiya in Arunachal Pradesh and serve as the foundation for a new economic revolution, to make the North East region a trade hub for Southeast Asia. He named the bridge after Dadasaheb Phalke awardee and legendary lyricist-singer Late Bhupen Hazarika who hailed from Sadiya.
Greeting the people in Assamese, Modi asked the public to switch on the torches of their mobiles to show to the nation that they are celebrating the occasion, he started the ceremony. While addressing the huge gathering Modi spoke about the Act East Policy, saying that the government wanted northeast region to become a trade hub for southeast Asia by connecting the area for economic activity. He stressed on development of infrastructure, electricity, roads, rail infrastructure and optical fibre network in the northeast. “If development is to be made permanent, then infrastructure is the first requirement. It is on the two tracks of physical infrastructure and social infrastructure that complete development is achieved,” Modi said.
The key details and significance of 9.15 km-long Bhupen Hazarika bridge are:
- The groundwork for the project begun in 2002, under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. Than, the project got approval in 2009 under the Congress-led UPA government, and construction began in 2011, under the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government in Assam.
- The bridge is built at a cost of Rs 2,096 crores.
- It reduces the distance by 165 km, cutting travel time by seven to eight hours between Anjaw in eastern Arunachal Pradesh to Assam’s Tinsukia or Dibrugarh, paving path for more opportunities for trade and economic development.
- The bridge also opens new road for the high quality ginger grown by farmers of the region and will improve their economic condition.
- The bridge is an engineering marvel and is capable of withstanding the weight of a 60 tonne battle tank, which will also be a plus point for quick movement of military troops and artillery.
- It would also provide efficient road connectivity to the remote and backward areas which have poor road infrastructure and will give a major boost to overall economic development of the areas north of Brahmaputra in upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
- As the the bridge improves the road connectivity, it will also increase tourism now, as it will be easier for tourists to visit the famous Kamakhya Temple.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that, people of Sadiya are happy about the development and that the bridge will bring both economic ans social development to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
While BJP was celebrating the inauguration of the longest bridge, Congress criticised BJP for appropriating the project. Former chief minister Tarun Gogoi said on Wednesday that he was not allowed to visit the site. The security people did not allow him, saying that it was because security concerns and law and order issues. He further added that, Congress government had laid the foundation, carried out the construction and completed the bridge on Brahmaputra river but now the BJP was trying to take all the credit by inaugurating it.