Assam: Old Kolia Bhomora Bridge To Be Closed From November 1 for Repairs

GUWAHATI: From November 1, the old Kolia Bhomora bridge will be closed to traffic for repairs. The movement of cars on the Kolia Bhomora bridge, which is presently being repaired, will be stopped and diverted to travel through the second bridge, which has been newly constructed. The decision was taken before the new bridge was opened.

The Kolia Bhomora Bridge, which connects Kaliabor and Tezpur in the districts of Nagaon and Sonitpur respectively, has seen constant traffic since it opened in 1987.

As a result on continuous usage, parts of the rails on the bridge are currently damaged. According to the administration, certain road repairs will also be made.

Beginning on November 1, the bridge will be shut down for the whole month. Deputy Commissioner Dev Kumar Mishra clarified this during a news conference on Friday at the meeting space of the Sonitpur district collector's office.

Vivek Joshi, Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India, and Dev Kumar Mishra, Deputy Commissioner of Sonitpur district, made this statement in a press release at the conference room of the Deputy Commissioner of Sonitpur district on Friday.

On September 23, the second bridge in Kolia Bhomora was visited by Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, who described it as an important bridge in Assam in terms of facilitating the travel of people from the north bank of the Brahmaputra to the south bank. Its also a strategic bridge, boosting the Army's ability to travel to the international border with China in Arunachal. The  bridge has been constructed to improve connectivity to the north bank  at a cost of Rs 588.95 crore.

Additionally, The minister said that a four-lane bridge would be built over the Jia Bharali River in the meantime. In April 1987, the bridge was finally opened to the public after seven arduous years by former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

In the 1970s and 1980s, this bridge was the sole one allowing travelers from Arunachal Pradesh and Tezpur to reach Nagaon and upper Assam. The Ahom General Kolia Bhomora Borphukan attempted to connect the northern bank of the Brahmaputra under the Ahom dominion.

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