At last, decks cleared for tunnel across Brahmaputra river between Gohpur and Numaligarh

 NHIDCL floats tender for DPR and pre-construction works

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: At long last, NHIDCL (National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd.) has decided to prepare the DPR (detailed project report) and start pre-construction activities towards the construction of greenfield four-lane tunnel connectivity across the River Brahmaputra between Gohpur and Numaligarh.

The issue had been in cold storage for about a year due to the indecisiveness of the Central government. The government was not in a position to make a quick decision about whether it should be a tunnel due to its strategic importance or a four-lane bridge over the Brahmaputra. At last, several union ministries have approved the venture to be a tunnel, and the Centre has entrusted the NHIDCL to execute the project.

With the decks for the strategic project cleared, NHIDCL has floated the tender (request for proposal) for consultancy services for the preparations of the DPR and for pre-construction activities towards the construction of greenfield four-lane tunnel connectivity across the River Brahmaputra from the National Highway (Gohpur) to the National Highway (Numaligarh). As per the tender, the consulting firm will have to prepare the DPR within six months after getting the work order.

The tentative length of the project is 33.7 kilometres.

According to the NHIDCL, due to strategic reasons emphasizing the nation’s defence safety perspective, it decided to construct the tunnel under the Brahmaputra. The proposed project corridor of the Gohpur-Numaligarh section, located in Assam, is on the Greenfield alignment.

The key objectives of the scheme are:

(i) To provide relief to the existing traffic on NH-37 located south of the Kaziranga Tiger Reserve.

(ii) To provide direct connectivity between Bongaon, near Numaligarh on NH-37, and Gohpur on NH-52.

(iii) Strategically enhance the security of the nation by providing connection facilities through a tunnel for defence personnel movements into Arunachal Pradesh, which is prone to enemy attack, and for efficient transfer of bulk goods through this route. This tunnel option will cause minimal disturbance to the built environment and will not pose any disturbance to navigational traffic.

The project is in Assam and is expected to serve as a very prominent route connecting Itanagar, Gohpur, and Numaligarh.

The top of the tunnel crown is proposed to be approximately 32.0 metres below the lowest bed level of the river Brahmaputra.

Artificial islands are also proposed on the northern and southern sides of the river Brahmaputra, which will act as a bund to prevent flood water from entering the construction zone created within the island to facilitate the construction of the tunnel and also during the operational phase.

NHIDCL has already prepared the feasibility report and finalized the alignment.

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