Pokapal (Sadiya), July 27: Little did Jatin Buragohain know that his decision to start a restaurant on the outskirts of Chapakhowa, headquarters of Sadiya sub-division of Tinsukia district in Assam, would completely change his fortunes.

Thanks to the Bhupen Hazarika Setu, Jatin registered his highest sales of over Rs 1 lakh on May 26, the day the bridge was opened.

Restaurant and hotel businesses have got a huge boost in both Sadiya and Roing district in Arunachal Pradesh after the opening of the bridge.

Pokapal under Chapakhowa is around 20km south of Dhola-Sadiya bridge and 35km from Roing.

The opening of the bridge, connecting Sadiya and Roing with the mainland, has become a boon for the restaurant and hotel business. An increase in tourists has prompted locals to open small roadside restaurants and dhabas at both the ends of the bridge.

Jatin said, "There were days when I could not even record a sale of Rs 500 even after one-and-a-half years of opening this restaurant. I stuck to the business because of my dream and finally the opening of the bridge changed my fortunes. "The opening day saw a flood of customers and since then I am catering to almost 600 to 700 people daily. The Sunday figure crosses the 1,000 mark."

Just across the road, Jayanta Buragohain, another local resident, has entered into similar food business. "There is a sea of vehicles ferrying local tourists these days. Hence, I decided to open a dhaba inside my residence to attract them," Jayanta added.

Even neighbouring Roing district of Arunachal Pradesh is buzzing with tourists coming to see the bridge.

Roing, famous for its snow-covered peaks at Miyodia pass during winter, is around 616km east of Guwahati and 35km east of Itanagar. This virgin land with a beautiful landscape and mountains in the backdrop is attracting loads of tourists as the bridge has removed the communication hurdle.

The development, however, has not brought cheer to some other businesses. Pareek, a local trader, said, "The direct access to the mainland has lowered our sales as customers prefer goods from Tinsukia because of lower rates.

"The price of land has increased significantly but there is hardly any construction activity taking place," said Ram Prakash Yadav, a resident of Chapakhowa.

"The only sector that has seen a leap is the food business," he said.

"We had never seen such traffic in our life," said Kusum Umbreyo, a localite of Ziro in Roing and added that the sudden influx has come with hopes and fears.

Talking to The Telegraph, superintendent of Roing police, Sanjay Kumar Sain, said, "There has been a hundred per cent increase in traffic and visitors with this ease in communication."

"We have taken several precautionary measures inclduing barricades at several places, special checks and drives. The new road often tempt motorists to indulge in rash driving," he said. "Efforts to curb traffic jams and set up parking spots for tourists are on."

"We have requested additional manpower and a CRPF company to assist us in maintaining law and order owing to visitor rush," Sain said.

Officer in-charge of Shantipur checkgate, Abraham Taying said, "Earlier, before the bridge was opened, hardly 50 cars entered Roing. Now the figure has drastically gone upto 400 on weekdays and more than 700 on weekends."

"Locals also provide direction to outsiders on places of interest like Sally lake and mini zoo," Taying said.

To enter Roing, all tourists require an inner-line permit, which can be availed at the checkgate, by providing necessary information and paying an entry fee. The huge inflow of tourists has generated good revenue for the Roing administration.