Assam: Fresh bid for tunnel under Brahmaputra in Gohpur-Numaligarh stretch

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The NHIDCL (National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd.) had to move afresh for the preparation of the DPR (Detailed Project Report) and pre-construction activities of the proposed strategic tunnel under the Brahmaputra in the Gohpur-Numaligarh stretch.

The much-talked-about mega project had been on the shelf for the past two years. However, the NHIDCL floated tenders for the preparation of the DPR and pre-construction activities of the project in May this year after getting the nod from various union ministries concerned. During the scrutiny of the tendering process, the NHIDCL found the participation of only one bidder in the tendering process. And that led the NHIDCL to seek fresh bidding (the second call), with the earlier bidding annulled under the CVC (Central Vigilance Commission) guidelines.

The NHIDCL did survey the feasibility of the tunnel project and finalise its alignment.

The tentative length of the project is 33.7 kilometres, inclusive of the tunnel and the road from Gohpur to Numaligarh.

According to the NHIDCL, due to strategic reasons emphasizing the nation's defence safety perspective, it decided to construct the tunnel under the Brahmaputra. The proposed project corridor of the Gohpur-Numaligarh section is on the Greenfield alignment.

The key objectives of the project are: (i) to provide relief to the existing traffic on NH-37 located south of the Kaziranga Tiger Reserve; (ii) to provide direct connectivity between Bongaon, near Numaligarh on NH-37, and Gohpur on NH-52; (iii) to strategically enhance the security of the nation by providing connection facilities through a tunnel for defence personnel movements into Arunachal Pradesh, etc.

The top of the tunnel crown is proposed to be approximately 32.0 metres below the lowest bed level of the river Brahmaputra.

According to NHIDCL sources, the agency getting the award for the preparation of the DPR for the project will have a six-month duration to accomplish the assignment.

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