Guwahati, 8 June: The operation wing of North Eastern Railway will
again stop traffic over old Saraighat Bridge for re-innovation. The Bridge was
started by the British company in 1959 using a large number of local workers
who did not have any idea about the latest technology. Using the traditional
way the company had completed the Bridge within three years. It was then that
the company made it clear that the Bridge would remain for a period of 50
years. In proportion, the British company had asked the National Highway
Authority of India to make alternatives for the Bridge, but the Central and
State government has been running the same for the last 20 years. Last year (2020),
when it was almost devastated, it was finally shut down for three months and a
company called Gamen India was entrusted with the responsibility of its
re-innovation and the newly constructed bridge over the Brahmaputra had to bear
the four lane highway traffic of both sides. As a result, the government
finally opened it saying that the work was somehow completed due to an outburst
of anger when traffic crossed Saraighat Bridge for 5-10 hours in those three
months. Around Rs 30 crore was also spent on the re-innovation process.
Recently again the North East Frontier Railway has announced that the
movement of the bridge will be stopped again for three months in the need of
re-innovation. Is re-innovation within 2-3 years a scientific solution for such
a bridge, which expired 20 years ago? Instead of re-innovation of this bridge
the government intends to keep it as heritage. It is easy to see how dangerous
it is to keep a poor bridge that actually operates trains and vehicles repaired
yearly in this way. It needs to be noted that more than 15,000 light and heavy
vehicles pass over the bridge daily as well as more than 200 trains running
daily on the railway line of Saraighat bridge. Apart from that many
passenger trains including the fast-moving capital Xpress, Jana Satabdi Express
also move over the bridge. In such a situation, the government and the railway
authorities are irresponsible. Running the Saraighat bridge in such a way has
raised the risk of a terrible accident at any time.
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