Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has assured the Assam government that he would personally look into the issue of the Jorhat-Majuli bridge over the river Brahmaputra, the construction of which has been stalled for around one month now. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had written to Gadkari on September 26 regarding his concerns about the bridge.
The contract for construction of the Jorhat-Majuli bridge was bagged by the State Bridge Corporation of the Uttar Pradesh government. The Corporation had subcontracted the construction work on the bridge to another company. Due to some financial issues between the two, the construction work was stopped by the company concerned.
The Chief Minister said, "Today I met with Union Minister Gadkari, and he assured me that he is personally looking into the Jorhat-Majuli bridge issue. With the previous contractor unwilling to proceed, a fresh tender might be issued. Decision on this will be taken very soon."
In the letter written by the CM, he had informed Gadkari that the UP company had left the site, thus holding up the work. He had termed it '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.
"I would like to request your kind intervention to ensure that immediate corrective measures are taken. This could include initiating the process of re-tendering the project without further delay, if deemed necessary. Alternatively, appropriate action may be taken to ensure that the work resumes without compromising the target date of completion, December 2025," the CM had written.
Earlier, on September 25, Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi had written to the Chief Minister, requesting him to do the needful for restarting the work on the Jorhat-Majuli bridge so that it is completed on time.
The construction work on the project worth Rs 650 crore was awarded by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to UP State Bridge Construction Corporation in August 2021.
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