GUWAHATI: The ‘first push’ for a bridge over the Brahmaputra near Dibrugarh in Upper Assam happened through a memorandum submitted by the Eastern Assam Chambers of Commerce and Industry to the then Union agriculture minister, Jagjivan Ram in 1967.
“However, the central government had then rejected the proposal outright, saying that the project would entail huge cost. Besides, the 1950 earthquake had widened the river in several areas,” Bhudev Phukan, president of the Eastern Assam Chambers of Commerce and Industry, told The Shillong Times from Dibrugarh on Wednesday.
Back then, there was no mention of Bogibeel though (as the site was yet to be selected), where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Tuesday, inaugurated the country’s longest road-cum-rail bridge.
“Thereafter, there were demands from several circles for a bridge near Dibrugarh. In 1977, a delegation comprising the then Assam Assembly Speaker, Ramesh Chandra Baruah, Dibrugarh University rector, Lakhi Prasad Dutta, Dibrugarh Nagarik Sangha secretary, Binanda Chandra Baruah, and a social worker Jagat Chandra Neog had submitted a memorandum to the then Prime Minister, Morarji Desai,” Phukan recalled.
The site, Bogibeel, about 17km from Dibrugarh town, was selected in 1984, only after a survey done by the Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES).
“The chamber along with the economics department of Dibrugarh Universityhad also conducted a two-day survey to ascertain the number of passengers crossing the river (from the south bank in Dibrugarh to the north bank in Dhemaji) by ferry and the fares incurred among other aspects. In 1984, RITES assured us that a bridge would be set up over the river at Bogibeel,” he said.
The Assam Accord, signed in 1985, also had the Bogibeel Bridge as one of its demands.
“The bridge will cut travel time between Dibrugarh and Dhemaji by over four hours and between Dibrugarh and New Delhi by almost 10 hours via train,” Phukan said.
Apart from a boost to connectivity between the south and north banks of the Brahmaputra in Assam, the facility will improve links between the state and Arunachal Pradesh. Military equipment too can now be transported easily to the India-China border.
“But it is good that the bridge has not been named after anyone, as yet. That way there is no controversy. The common people in general, from what I hear and gather, want the facility to be known as Bogibeel Bridge only,” he said.
There have been demands by some organisations to have the bridge named after a legendary figure from the state.
“Since bridges have been named after legends from communities, we want it to be named after Sati Sadhani, (a queen from the Chutia dynasty of the 16th century), who is a symbol of sacrifice, valour and patriotism,” Jitu Saikia, president of All Assam Chutia Students’ Union (Dibrugarh district), said.