Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday addressed an event in Assam where Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘Mahabahu - Brahmaputra’ initiative virtually over video conferencing.
During the program, the Prime Minister also laid foundation stone for a bridge over the Brahmaputra river connecting Assam and Meghalaya.
“Demand for a bridge over river Brahmaputra, between Dhubri in Assam and Phulbari in Meghalaya, is 10 years old. With this, distance between Dhubri and Phulbari will be shortened by 203 km,” news agency ANI quoted Gadkari as saying. “Assam and Meghalaya will have a direct connection with West Bengal through this bridge. The 55 km-long road construction from Serampore in West Bengal to Dhubri in Assam will begin this October. It will save the distance and time needed to travel to Bhutan, Bangladesh,” he added.
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The proposed Dhubri-Phulbari Bridge will be located on NH-127B, originating from Srirampur on NH-27 (East-West Corridor), and terminating at Nongstoin on NH-106 in Meghalaya. It will connect Dhubri in Assam to Phulbari, Tura, Rongram and Rongjeng in Meghalaya.
{{/usCountry}}The proposed Dhubri-Phulbari Bridge will be located on NH-127B, originating from Srirampur on NH-27 (East-West Corridor), and terminating at Nongstoin on NH-106 in Meghalaya. It will connect Dhubri in Assam to Phulbari, Tura, Rongram and Rongjeng in Meghalaya.
{{/usCountry}}Addressing the event, PM Modi said, “In the past few years, the double engine government of Centre and Assam made an effort to reduce the geographical and cultural gaps of this entire region. Distance between Assam and Meghalaya is around 250 km by road. In the future, it will only be 19-20 km. This bridge will also prove to be significant for the international movement of traffic to other nations.”
A statement by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said that the launch of ‘Mahabahu-Brahmaputra’ will be marked by the inauguration of the Ro-Pax vessel operations between Neamati-Majuli Island, North Guwahati-South Guwahati and Dhubri-Hatsingimari; Shilanyas of Inland Water Transport (IWT) Terminal at Jogighopa and various tourist jetties on River Brahmaputra and launch of digital solutions for Ease-of-Doing-Business.