Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday took stock of the preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit on Tuesday to inaugurate Bogibeel bridge, the country’s longest rail-cum-road bridge.

Sonowal visited both the ends of the bridge and supervised the preparation for the programme at Kareng chapori on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra in Dhemaji district, where Modi will address a public rally.

He held a meeting with the top officials of the railways and the district administrations of both Dibrugarh and Dhemaji.

“December 25 will be a historic moment for the people of Assam as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the bridge to the nation. We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. The bridge will usher in an economic revolution to the Northeast. It will boost the Prime Minister’s Act East policy and bridge the distance between the northeastern states and the Southeast Asian nations,” Sonowal said.

“The bridge will play a crucial role in bridging the gap between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The central government will take the decision of naming the bridge. We appeal all the people of Assam to maintain peace and harmony and work towards the development of the state. Through this bridge we should strengthen the brotherhood among us,” Sonowal said.

The district authority has already prepared six temporary helipads, three each on both sides of the bridge.

Three public galleries, apart from the main canopy, have been erected for the public meeting. The arrangements were itself a huge logistical challenge considering the sheer number of people who are expected to come to hear Modi.

An estimated two lakh people from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh are expected to attend the Prime Minister’s public rally.

Security has been beefed up on both the sides to thwart any kind of threat before the inauguration.

Political commentator Rupak Bhattacharya said, “The bridge will be a huge boost to the country’s security infrastructure as our security forces will be able to transport personnel and equipment swiftly to Arunachal Pradesh.”

The cost of the project had shot up from the initial Rs 1,767 crore to Rs 5,800 crore.

Having already missed several deadlines over the years, the bridge has also earned the unflattering tag of the slowest moving infrastructure project of the Northeast.

Steel Authority of India Limited (Sail) on Monday said it has supplied around 35,400 metric tonnes of steel for the construction of the bridge.

This quantity, Sail said, is a little more than 50 per cent of the total quantity of steel supplied for the bridge.

• Bogibeel rail-cum-road bridge is the longest bridge in India at 4.94km (revised from 4.31km)
  
• It spans the Brahmaputra 17km downstream of Dibrugarh in Upper Assam
  
• The project was sanctioned in 1997-98. The foundation stone was laid by former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gouda on January 22, 1997
  
• Cost Rs 5960 crores
  

BENEFITS

• Besides providing rail connectivity, the bridge will link two existing National Highways - NH-37 on the South Bank and NH-52 on the North Bank
  
• Remote districts of Anjaw, Changlang, Lohit, Lower Dibang Valley, Dibang Valley and Tirap of Arunachal Pradesh will be greatly benefited
  
• Almost 75% of the 4000km long border that India shares with China is in Arunachal Pradesh and the bridge will provide logistical support for the army
  
• It will provide alternate and shorter routes from Dibrugarh to Delhi and Calcutta via Rangiya
  
• The distance from Dibrugarh to Rangiya will be reduced by 170 km.
  
• The road distance from Dibrugarh to Itanagar will be reduced by 150km and the rail travel distance by 705 km