Controversial Bogibeel Bridge to be inaugurated tomorrow

Guwahati, December 24, 2018:

The Bogibeel Bridge project, which was a part of the Assam Accord of 1985, shall finally be thrown open to traffic by Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow.

With a length of 4.98 km, the bridge which spans across the Brahmaputra and is located 17 km downstream from Dibrugarh, will be the longest bridge in India. The bridge is seen as a strategic move by the Government in order to boost security infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh and the bridge will reduce train travel time between Tinsukia (in Assam) and Naharlagun (Arunachal Pradesh) by ten hours. It is located 20 kms away from the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.

It may be mentioned that the bridge has been mired in controversy regarding its naming, with various communities in Assam demanding that the bridge be named after their preferred personalities. Ahom organisations staged a blockade on National Highway 37 near Siu-ka-pha Bhavan in Dibrugarh last week demanding the naming of Bogibeel Bridge after Chaolung Siu-ka-pha, the founder of Ahom kingdom. The bridge has been decked up in lights ahead of the inauguration which will be attended by various dignitaries including Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu.