AMN / Guwahati
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge over the Brahmaputra at Bogibeel in Assam.
After reaching Dibrugarh from New Delhi, Mr Modi directly flew to Bogibeel in a chopper and inaugurated the 4.94-km-long double-decker bridge from the southern bank of the river.
Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal were present on the occasion.
The Prime Minister also travelled from Dibrugarh to Dhemaji through the new bridge. He also flagged off the first passenger train over the bridge.
The strategically important bridge over the mighty Brahmaputra will remove communication bottlenecks to several districts in Arunachal Pradesh.
The bridge, which begins at Dibrugarh and ends at Dhemaji districts of Assam, will connect parts of Arunachal Pradesh by road as well as railway.
The Bogibeel Bridge will play a crucial role in defence movement along the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh.
The bridge, constructed at an estimated cost of around 5,900 crore rupees, has a serviceable period of around 120 years.
The rail link connects two existing railway networks running at south bank and north bank of the river.