Dhola-Sadiya Bridge will meet India's strategic needs: Centre

FROM A CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI, May 25: The Centre on Thursday said Dhola- Sadiya Bridge will cater to the strategic requirements of the country in the border areas of Aruchal Pradesh.

“It will cater to the strategic requirements of the country in the border areas of Aruchal Pradesh, besides facilitating numerous hydro power projects coming up in the state , as it is the most sought after route for various power project developers,” said the Union Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways in a statement.

“Till now, the only means to cross the Brahmaputra at this location has been by ferry only in daytime and even this is not possible during floods. The last bridge over the Brahmaputra was the Kalia Bhomora Bridge at Tejpur. This will however change from tomorrow with the Dhola-Sadiya bridge ensuring 24X7 connectivity between upper Assam and eastern part of Aruchal Pradesh,” the statement said.

The bridge will also reduce the distance from Rupai on NH- 37 in Assam to Meka/Roing on NH-52 in Aruchal Pradesh by 165 km. The travel time between the two places will come down from the current six hours to just one hour – a reduction of five hours. This will result in saving of petrol and diesel worth Rs 10 lakh per day.