SILAPATHAR, Oct 29 - The All Assam Students� Union (AASU) has demanded the early completion of Bogibeel bridge over the Brahmaputra river. The Bogibeel bridge will connect Dhemaji district on the north bank of Brahmaputra at Kareng Chapaori and Dibrugarh on the south bank of at Bogibeel along with a major portion of Arunachal Pradesh.
The Bogibeel bridge is being constructed as per the provisions of the Assam Accord. The bridge will help in communication needs of people of upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
The construction work of the rail-cum-road bridge of Bogibeel project is going on speedily. Almost 80 per cent work of the bridge construction has been completed. The Central and State Governments have announced that the two tier rail-cum-road bridge will be opened next December. However, sources said that another six months will be required to complete the bridge.
The 4.94 km-long bridge has 42 posts. The work for 39 of the posts has been completed. Sources said that it requires 15 days to complete the construction work from one post to the other.
The vice-president of the All Assam Students� Union (AASU), Chitra Basumatary said that the construction of the bridge is going on at a slow pace. The construction company should speed up the work, he said.
President of the Dhemaji district AASU Bhagyaban Doley, secretary Krishna Ranjan Chutia, State member Monturaj Baruah, Silapathar AASU president Deben Deka visited the Bogibeel bridge and demanded speedy construction of the remaining work. Six Prime Ministers have completed their tenure during since the time the bridge was commissioned, but it is yet to be completed, said the AASU secretary.
The foundation stone of the Bogibeel rail-cum-road project was laid by former Prime Minister HD Deva Gowda on January 22, 1997, while the bridge was inaugurated by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on April 21, 2002. The original budget of the bridge was Rs 1,767 crore but the final cost of the project is likely to go up to Rs 5,000 crore, the source added.