MAJULI: Hundreds of members from the All Assam Students' Union and local residents gathered at Majuli on Friday to form a human chain protesting the halt in the construction of the much-needed Majuli-Jorhat bridge over the Brahmaputra River. The halt in the construction of the vital infrastructure project over Brahmaputra River, which has been suspended over the past five months without any definite future prospect, sparked off the protest.
The 8.25-kilometre, two-lane bridge would connect Majuli-the world's largest river island-to Jorhat on the south bank of the Brahmaputra. With a total cost of Rs 925.47 crore, it would establish a high connectivity link and aid in growing the regional economy. However, since Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma laid the foundation stone on November 29, 2021, the project has been running significantly behind schedule.
This became worse on 5 September 2024, when the project contractor, UPSBCL-UP State Bridge Construction Corporation Ltd-withdrew after completing just 32% of the work. The ministry of Road Transport and Highways has not begun the retendering process to this date and left the project in limbo.
Protesters expressed their dissatisfaction, noting that the bridge was a lifeline for residents of Majuli. They asked both state and central governments to speed up the retendering process and ensure that construction gets underway soon so that cost escalations and delays do not escalate further.
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