Question: India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge was inaugurated recently in which State of India?
(a) Arunachal Pradesh
(b) Assam
(c) Mizoram
(d) Odisha
Answer: (b)
Related facts:
- On 25th December, 2018, India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge over the Brahmaputra River in Assam was inaugurated on the birth anniversary of former prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
- The 4.9 kilometre long Double-decker Bridge is situated 17 km downstream of Dibrugarh and Dhemaji. The bridge connects Dhemaji and Dibrugarh districts of Assam.
- This is also Asia’s 2nd longest rail-cum-road bridge having a serviceable period of around 120 years and is constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 5,900 crore.
Features:
- On the lower deck the bridge has two railway lines and a three-lane road on the upper, strong enough to withstand movement of heavy military tanks.
- This bridge is based on the design of Oresund Bridge that joins Sweden and Finland across the Oresand strait.
- It is India’s first bridge to have fully welded steel-concrete support beams that can withstand earthquakes of magnitudes up to 7 Richter scale.
Background:
- The Bogibeel project was a part of the 1985 Assam Accord and was sanctioned in 1997-98. The foundation stone was laid by then Prime Minister HD Deve Gouda on January 22, 1997, but the commencement of work on the project was done by Vajpayee on April 21, 2002. It took 200 months to complete the project as heavy rainfall in the region being the main cause for the slow progress.
- Importance of the Bridge:
- This bridge has significant social, cultural, economic and military importance as it augments feasibility and accessibility to resources in efficient way.
- The road distance from Dibrugarh to Itanagar will be shortened by 150 km and the railway travel distance between these two points will shrink by 705 km while this bridge will provide an alternate and shorter route from Dibrugarh through north bank of Brahmaputra to Delhi and Kolkata via Rangiya.
- The bridge over the Brahmaputra will boost defence logistics along the farthest point of India’s border with China as it will facilitate easy movement of troops and supplies from southern to northern bank.
- This bridge is a lifeline for crores of people in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh as it will facilitate connectivity between north and south banks of river Brahmaputra in the eastern region of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and will boost the economy and improve trade.
Links:
http://www.newsonair.com/Main-News-Details.aspx?id=357095
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogibeel_Bridge
https://indianexpress.com/article/north-east-india/assam/pm-modi-bogibeel-bridge-assam-arunachal-pradesh-5509066/
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-modi-inaugurates-indias-longest-rail-road-bridge-in-assam/articleshow/67242194.cms
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pm-modi-to-inaugurate-bogibeel-bridge-today-10-things-to-know-1416777-2018-12-25