As the day of inauguration of the fourth bridge over the Brahmaputra connecting Dhemaji with Dibrugarh is nearing, a mass jubilation is gripping across the northern bank of the river as it has paused to transform the entire economy of this region. The longest ever rail-cum-road bridge in the country with a length of 4.98 kms connects Bogibeel in the south bank of the Brahmaputra with Kareng Chapori on the north.
The northern bank of the river stretching from Jonai in Dhemaji district to Hawajan in Lakhimpur district has been affected by communication bottleneck that has denied people access to facilities and economic activities enjoyed by people of the southern bank since the time of country’s Independence.
The bridge will enable people in the north bank to access Assam Medical College Hospital, Dibrugarh University, Mohanbari airport and a whole lot of services and markets spread over Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Sivasagar district with ease and in less time. The dependence on Guwahati on these services will now be over and therefore people here across the two north bank districts are so enthused for the opening of the Bogibeel bridge on Christmas day.
The northern bank districts of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji has also been known for flood and erosion problems that have destroyed its agricultural economy and infrastructures every year. The zero industrial status of the two districts has been no match to the developed state of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Sivasagar districts limiting the economic activities of its inhabitants to a greater extent. Now movement of goods and services is surely going to bring changes to the livelihood of people of these two districts with running of all types of vehicles and trains.
The biggest expectation that the bridge is bringing to this corner of the state is the railway connectivity. The bridge is the third road-cum-rail bridge in Assam over the Brahmaputra making the possibility of connecting Dibrugarh with Guwahati through the north bank via Dhemaji, North Lakhimpur, Rangapara North and Rangiya.