Tunnel under B’putra is strategic game-changer for Assam, NE: CM

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma today termed the proposed road-cum-rail tunnel from Gohpur to Numaligarh under the river Brahmaputra a ‘game-changing’ project from the strategic perspective for Assam and the Northeast region. He said that initially it was designed as a bridge project over the river Brahmaputra to bypass Kaziranga. Later, it was revised to a road tunnel, and finally, under the initiative of PM Narendra Modi, it was turned into a road-cum-rail tunnel project beneath the river Brahmaputra.

The Union cabinet, on February 13, accorded approval to the around 34-km Twin Tube Underwater Road Rail Tunnel between Gohpur and Numaligarh at a cost of Rs 18,662 crore. The targeted completion period for the project is five years.

Addressing a press conference here today, the CM said that it will be India’s first underwater road-cum-rail project and the world’s second. The first such project in the world is the one connecting Germany with Denmark. The Gohpur-Numaligarh tunnel will be constructed at a depth of 57 metres beneath the riverbed of the Brahmaputra. The Twin Tube tunnel will have one tube for the road and the other for the rail. The total length of the project is nearly 34 km, and that of the tunnel is 15.79 km. There will be a 10 km approach road from the Gohpur side and 8 km from the Numaligarh side.

The CM further said that the Railways will conduct a survey for a new railway track from Furkating to Numaligarh (on the south bank of the Brahmaputra) and one from the tunnel end to Gohpur.

The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Ltd (NHIDCL) will implement the tunnel project.

The Chief Minister said, “The situation of the NE is very, very strategic. NE is connected with the Indian mainland through the 22-km chicken’s neck. In case of a war with any enemy country, if the Bogibeel or Kaliabhomora bridges are bombed, our connectivity will be lost. So, the tunnel between Gohpur and Numaligarh is a strategic project fully backed by the Indian Army. There will be four stakeholders in the project: the Assam Government, the Indian Army, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Indian Railways.”

The CM further said, “During the CAA agitation, there was talk that the chicken’s neck will be cut and the NE severed from the mainland of India. When I took over charge as the Chief Minister, the matter was discussed very seriously at the highest level. Now, three things have happened: the Union cabinet has already approved an underpass railway line in the chicken’s neck, an Army base was set up in Dhubri, and the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) launched at Moran.

The ELF Moran is not an ordinary project—it is intended to provide security to the NE. Moran is situated at a strategic location, 200 km from China and 70 km from Myanmar. The ELF Moran sends a strong message that India is ready to face any enemy.”

The CM also stated that strategic infrastructure works are underway in Arunachal Pradesh; the rail line will go up to Tawang, and construction works of two highways are going on. “After Arunachal Pradesh, Assam is a backup state, a strategic theatre. In case of war, Assam is very, very strategic. The Moran ELF, the Gohpur- Numaligarh tunnel, and the railway corridor beneath the Chicken Neck are all highly strategic projects,” he added.

Recalling the 1962 China-India War, the Chief Minister said that the state had been left exposed due to the lack of defence assets and noted that the government has since sanctioned and is implementing several projects to secure the Northeast against potential threats. Securing Assam and the Northeast, Sarma emphasized, remains a primary thrust of the central government.

“The Government of India is developing numerous assets in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. However, during the CAA movement, there was an open threat of cutting the chicken’s neck. So all these perceived threats have been taken into calculation, and many projects to secure the Northeast have been sanctioned and are being sanctioned by the Prime Minister,” he stated.

The CM further said, “During the 1962 war, Assam was bid goodbye. I thank the PM that he is creating strategic assets in NE. Now, all PMs will be able to say, ‘We’ll defeat the enemy from the soil of Assam.’ When the tunnel project was sent to the PM, it was only a road tunnel, but the PM asserted that the work should be done in the best possible way, and he insisted that it be converted into a road-cum-rail tunnel project. Even Union Minister Nitin Gadkari monitored the project on a day-to-day basis and reviewed it at the micro level.”

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