Phase-II of meetings with stakeholders of Dhubri-Phulbari bridge

From a Correspondent

DHUBRI, June 30: The second phase of meetings with stakeholders of Dhubri-Phulbari bridge is slated to be held next month. Sources engaged in survey works for the bridge informed that four stakeholder meetings for two or four lane Dhubri to Phulbari bridge over river Brahmaputra would be conducted to explain the fil alignment of bridge, results of tural and social environment impact assessment study, results of census survey, land acquisition and resettlement plan and to collect comments from stakeholders and modify mitigation measures and monitoring plan. The first meeting will be held at ME School Chagalchara Part-II of Dhubri district on July 3 at 11 am while on the same day, the second meeting will be held at Sri Sri Jogomaya Ghat (Boat Point) of Dhubri town at 3 pm.

On July 4, meeting will be held at Irrigation Inspection Bungalow of Water Resource Department at Phulbari of Meghalaya at 11 am followed by another meeting at Bororawatry village (South Salmara-Mancachar district) of Phulbari of Meghalaya on the same day at 2 pm, source further informed. The survey work to build the 20-km Dhubri-Phulbari bridge over the Brahmaputra began last year and the agencies concerned already conducted surveys in two phases with stakeholders in the villages that would be affected by the project. Altogether 15 km of the bridge will lie over the Brahmaputra and 2.5 km stretch of road will extend into Phulbari in Meghalaya and Dhubri in Assam, a source in the survey team said. The bridge will connect the Dhubri-Kachugaon Road.

Samaj Vikash Sewa Sanstha, a New Delhi-based NGO, has been engaged to conduct the surveys on the proposed route of the bridge. In the first phase, representatives of the NGO held several meetings in the villages to enlighten the people about the construction of the bridge and its impact.

When contacted, chairman of the Sanstha, SK Jha, told The Sentinel that they were engaged for public consultancy and so conducted survey and community-level meetings with stakeholders. “We have already conducted socio-economic status of the stakeholders (villagers to be affected) in the second phase of survey, and will hold four meetings with them in Dhubri and Phulbari to collect their opinion and comment next month on July 3 and July 4”, Jha added. He said the Sanstha was working with a three-member team of Environ Infra Solution Pvt. Ltd, which was engaged to assess the environmental impact of the project. Both the Sanstha and Environ Infra are funded by the Japan Intertiol Co-operation Agency (JICA).

The reports of the two phases of survey will be compiled at the fil stage by the agencies and handed over to JICA, which is funding the project, and it will then invite a global tender for construction. Union Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister, Nitin Gadkari in his speech during the iugural meeting of Dhola-Sadiya Bridge on May 26, said that the construction work of Dhubri-Phulbari bridge would be started from this year.