Assam: Tardy progress of work on Jogighopa bridge prompts NHIDCL to issue notice

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The construction company entrusted with the work of constructing the new 2-lane extradosed cable-stayed bridge on NH17 at Jogighopa over the River Brahmaputra has missed its first target of completion. Following this, apprehension has been raised that the firm will miss the second target also due to its slow progress of work.

The work on the new Jogighopa bridge was awarded by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) to S.P. Singla Construction Pvt Ltd on August 10, 2021. Subsequently, the NHIDCL issued the appointment date on November 12, 2021. As per the terms in the work agreement, the bridge was supposed to have been completed by November 10, 2024. However, the firm missed its initial target.

The length of the new Jogighopa bridge project is 4.385 km, with a total project cost of Rs 746.76 crore.

After missing its first target, the NHIDCL gave the firm a fresh completion target of December 31, 2026. But the pace of work is still lagging behind, and 70% of the work has been completed, as per the latest available information.

When contacted by The Sentinel, an official of NHIDCL said that they are also concerned over the delay in completion of the bridge project, and a notice has been served on the firm to speed up its work. There is an existing bridge over the River Brahmaputra at Jogighopa.

It needs to be mentioned that the under-construction bridge is part of the four-laning work on NH 17 from Jogighopa to Guwahati on the south bank of the Brahmaputra.

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