Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari informed Rajya Sabha that there is no proposal for the construction of highways on both sides of Brahmaputra river.
The minister made this statement while answering a question asked by Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan. The MP from Assam on Monday asked whether there is any proposal for constructing the same on both sides of the River.
Moreover, while asked whether there is any proposal for bridge construction over the Brahmaputra River connecting Majuli, the Union minister replied that a bridge with immediate south and north bank approaches over Brahmaputra river connecting Majuli to Jorhat in Assam amounting to Rs. 925.47 crores have been sanctioned for which bids have been received.
Earlier in 2017, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal while launching a survey work stated that the state government would soon start work on an 890-km Express Highway along the entire length of the Brahmaputra in the state from Sadiya in the east to Dhubri in the west, which in turn would also help arrest river-bank erosion. He further stated that Assam government had already sought support from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
The state government’s official website also stated that the construction of the express highways would start soon.
Gadkari in his reply on Monday said, “Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), an autonomous body, under Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways does maintenance dredging for shipping and navigation on National Waterways-2 (NW-2, River Brahmaputra). The dredging work is carried out on need basis for smooth navigation of vessels, particularly during the lean season (October to March) where width and depth of the navigation channel are less than targeted Available Depth (LAD).”
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