GUWAHATI, OCT 12: The approach road to the country’s longest rail-cum-road bridge, Bogibeel Bridge have been lying in a state of disrepair for last several months posing problems for commuters.
The 8-km approach road in the south bank of the Brahmaputra (Dibrugarh side) and the 8.6-km approach road in the north bank (Dhemaji side) have been peppered with countless potholes making it potentially dangerous for commuters.
On December 25, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had dedicated the 4.94-km long Bogibeel Bridge over the Brahmaputra connecting Dibrugarh and Dhemaji districts, ushering in a new dimension in road and railway connectivity in the region.
Hundreds of vehicles, including trucks, buses and private vehicles, from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh crosses the Bogibeel Bridge daily to reach their respective destinations. Patients from Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Arunachal Pradesh also takes this route to visit the Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh. For businessmen and traders of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh the Bogibeel Bridge is extremely crucial.
“Both the approach roads to the Bogibeel Bridge are in quite bad shape and has become a nightmare for commuters. Vehicles break frequently down on the road as the stretch is filled with countless craters and potholes. Despite being such an important road the authorities have not bothered to repair it,” a local commuter said.
When contacted the executive engineer of PWD Dibrugarh National Highways Division Rahul Amin said that the Bogibeel Bridge approach roads were earlier maintained by the NF Railways and only recently the responsibility were handed over to the Public Works Department (PWD).
“Till recently the approach roads of the Bogibeel Bridge was being looked after by the Railways. They have now handed over the maintenance work to PWD. Due to lack of maintenance many potholes have appeared on the road. Around 2.2-km stretch on the south bank approach road and 4.6-km stretch on the north bank approach road need repair. We have done a survey and making the estimate for the construction of the damaged road. Very soon we will start our repair work,” Amin said.