HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, October 3: Following union minister Nitin Gadkari’s assurance, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated on Thursday that the roadblock on a crucial bridge over the Brahmaputra River, which is intended to link Majuli River island with the mainland in Assam’s Jorhat district, will be sorted out soon.
Sarma, who met Gadkari in the airport in Delhi on the sidelines of the campaign in poll-bound Haryana, said that a fresh tender might be floated by the Central ministry as the previous contractor expressed unwillingness to work on that bridge.
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The chief minister wrote on X, “Had a brief interaction with Hon’ble Union Surface Transport Minister Shri @nitin_gadkari Ji at Delhi Airport. He assured me that he is personally looking into the Majuli Bridge issue. With the previous contractor unwilling to proceed, a fresh tender might be issued. A decision on this will be taken soon.”
The Assam chief minister has been extensively campaigning in Haryana for the BJP.
To recall, earlier, Sarma had said that the state administration noticed that work on the Jorhat-Majuli bridge over the Brahmaputra came to a standstill since September 5.
He said, “I have written to Hon’ble Union Minister Shri @nitin_gadkari Ji requesting his immediate intervention to ensure that we don’t miss the Dec 2025 completion date.”
The chief minister mentioned in the letter that the construction of the new two-lane major bridge, including approaches over the river Brahmaputra, between Majuli on the North Bank and Jorhat on the South Bank was awarded by the ministry of road transport and highways in August 2021 on EPC mode to the UP State Bridge Corporation Limited.
He further mentioned that the project holds immense significance for the region, with a total contract value of approximately Rs 650 crore and an expected completion date of December 2025.
“However, it has come to our notice that the construction work has been at a standstill since September 5, 2024, which is a serious cause for concern. Given that the dry season has commenced, this period is crucial for ensuring steady progress, and any delay at this stage could result in substantial loss of working days and critical time, which may lead to significant cost and time overruns,” he added.
Sarma further stated, “Moreover, reports suggest that the EPC contractor, UP State Bridge Corporation Limited, has left the site, thereby halting the work. This is extremely unfortunate, as further delays would jeopardise the timely completion of this vital infrastructure project, which is essential for the connectivity and economic development of Majuli and the entire region.”
He had then sought Gadkari’s intervention to ensure that immediate corrective measures were taken.
