Assam: Rs 4,700-crore rural bridge overhaul underway in state

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: A massive rural connectivity overhaul through renovation, widening, replacement through concretisation, etc., of over 1,000 bridges with a cost of Rs 4,700 crore has been underway in the state.

Under the World Bank-funded Assam Resilient Rural Bridge Programme, around 1,085 bridges have been taken up for their renovation or their replacement with concrete structures.

According to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the main focus of the programme is on safe, resilient, cost-effective rural bridges for seamless connectivity. Under this programme, 29 existing RCC bridges will be renovated, besides the replacement of 93 old RCC bridges. Apart from these, the widening of 99 narrow RCC bridges is going on. Under the programme, 194 new RCC bridges have been proposed to bridge the communication gaps in rural areas in the state.

Rural Assam also has several completed bridges that have been lying unused due to the lack of approach roads. There are also narrow wooden bridges that have been lying beyond the sight of the department concerned for years on end. The local populace often comes forward to repair such old and ramshackle bridges on their own to get their lives going.

Yet, there are several half-constructed rural RCC bridges. Such bridges are a squeeze on the state exchequer without the public getting the benefits.

According to official sources, with the increase in population in rural areas, leading to an increase in the number of villages, the demand for roads and bridges has been on the rise. However, due to constraints of funds, the government cannot meet the demand. In 2017-18, the state had a rural road network of around 40,367 km. This has increased to around 51,788 km in 2022-23. The regular maintenance of these rural roads has also become a challenge for the state government.

The road network in Assam comprises a total of 65,748 km, consisting of 3,927 km of national highways and 61,820 km of roads under PWD as of March 31, 2023. Out of 61,820 km of PWD roads, state highways comprise 2,540 km, major district roads comprise 4,309 km, urban roads comprise 3,182 km, and rural roads comprise 51,788 km. Out of total 65,748 km of road length in the state, including national highways, 51,482 km are surfaced roads and 14,266 km are unsurfaced roads.

 Also Read: Assam CM Urges Nitin Gadkari To Resume Construction Work Of Majuli-Jorhat Bridge (sentinelassam.com)

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