GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday asked the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) authorities to complete the on-going repair work of old Saraighat Bridge over the River Brahmaputra here at the earliest so as to reopen the bridge for vehicular traffic on June 20 next instead of June 30 as fixed by the railway authorities earlier.
Taking stock of progress of ongoing repair works of old Saraighat bridge, Sonowal asked the railway authorities to complete the repair work within June 20 by engaging more manpower to carry out the work round the clock in three shifts. He asked the railway authorities to complete the casting work of the bridge within may 15.
“Saraighat Bridge is a lifeline in terms of connectivity for the people of North and South Bank of the River Brahmaputra. It is very important to complete the repairing at the earliest to ensure hassle free traffic movement for the people of both banks of the river”, Sonowal told the railway officials present at the worksite.
Stating Saraighat as a major connectivity link, Sonowal further directed to complete the repair works within June 20 instead of June 30 as fixed earlier by the Railways. Considering the amount of repair work to be executed, Sonowal advised the Railways to engage manpower in three shifts ensuring round the clock work instead of two-shift works at present.
The General Manager, NFR Sanjive Roy informed the Chief Minister that it was for the first time a major repair of this scale had been taken up since the time of dedication of the bridge to the service of the people in 1963. He also assured the Chief Minister to complete the repair work within June 20 as directed by him. The Railway personnel also briefed the Chief Minister about the project in detail at the work site.