DHOLA, May 26 - Amid huge applause Prime Minister Narendra Modi today dedicated to nation the country�s longest river bridge � the 9.15-km-long Dhola-Sadiya bridge over the Lohit.
Addressing a rally at Zero Point of Dhola in Tinsukia district, the Prime Minister also announced that the bridge will be named �Dr Bhupen Hazarika Setu� after the iconic cultural figure even as over 70,000 people present there erupted in joy.
�Dr Bhupen Hazarika was instrumental in introducing the Brahmaputra to the world through his songs. His lips often glorified the potential and grandeur of the mighty river. His name must be attached with the bridge,� Modi said.
The Prime Minister said the bridge will go a long way in propelling economic revolution in the northeastern region. �This bridge is not only a pride for Assam but it is also an honour for the entire country because the nation has been able to build the longest bridge in the remotest end of Assam,� he said.
�The issue (of constructing a bridge connecting Dhola with Sadiya) was taken seriously by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had also called for a feasibility report. But follow-ups were not done and its certainty appeared bleak with the change of the government at the Centre... Had Atalji won the elections in 2004 again, the bridge would have been completed ten years back,� Modi said.
�The government is giving importance to development of the Northeast because the country�s progress greatly depends on harnessing the potentials of the region like tourism, power generation, etc. If permanent development has to happen, both physical and social infrastructure have to be built,� he said.
Modi also called for adopting organic cultivation in the region. �I am told that ginger of this area is of high demand. If you can produce this ginger using organic method, you can also capture global market. This bridge has already opened a wide market for the farmers of the region,� he said.
Addressing the rally, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari said the Centre has proposed 3,000 km of additional national highways for Assam. He said the work for three more bridges over the Brahmaputra river would be started soon. To develop water transport on the Brahmaputra, the dredging of the river would be started soon, he added.
Chief Minister Sarbanada Sonowal said the bridge would bring economic development to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. He said Modi-led NDA government has infused life into the Northeast and ever since it came to power, it built 3,000 km of highways in the region as against the same length by the previous Congress government in 60 years.
Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chouna Mein, Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain, State ministers Parimal Shukla Baidya, Pallablochan Das, MPs Pradan Baruah, Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and Rameswar Teli , Sadiya MLA Bolin Chetia and State Chief Secretary VK Pipersenia attended the bridge inauguration ceremony.
Earlier, the Prime Minister reached Zero Point by a chopper from Dibrugarh Airport. He also made a round up of 3 km on the bridge.
The bridge built at a cost of over Rs 2,000 crore is also considered to be very decisive from the strategic point of view. The bridge will give the Indian Army easy access to the frontier parts of Arunachal Pradesh near the China border. Earlier, the Army had to travel eight to ten hours to reach their barracks in Arunachal Pradesh from Dinjan Army Station.
The bridge will now hugely curtail travel time of the people of Sadiya and Arunachal Pradesh, who often used waterway to reach Tinsukia and Dibrugarh to catch trains, flights, etc., or for education purpose and medical service.