Chief minister Tarun Gogoi speaks at a function on Tuesday with the lit-up Saraighat Bridge in the background. The event was organised to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the bridge. Picture by UB Photos

Nov. 6: Chief minister Tarun Gogoi today recalled the hardships faced by people while crossing the Brahmaputra on small boats before the Saraighat bridge was constructed.

Speaking at a function organised by Northeast Frontier Railway today to celebrate 50 years of the completion of the bridge, Gogoi recalled crossing the river in a boat on his way from Jorhat to Allahabad in 1958, where he was pursuing a law degree from Allahabad University.

The chief minister lauded the role played by the first rail-cum-road bridge constructed over the Brahmaputra in improving the socio-economic condition of the people of the region.

The country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had inaugurated the bridge on June 7, 1963, at a grand function in Maligaon railway station. The construction of the bridge started in January 1959 and was completed in September 1962.

NFR, which looks after its maintenance, said even after 50 years, the structure of the bridge was found to be absolutely fit and strong.

Apart from Gogoi, governor J.B. Patnaik, Railway Board member (engineering), A.P. Mishra, and NFR general manager R.S. Virdi, and others attended the function organised at Pandu port.

Patnaik suggested the bridge be named as Lachit Barphukan bridge and construct a statue of the Ahom general close to it with a short description of the Battle of Saraighat.

“When I compare the execution of this road-cum-rail bridge in record time of three and half years to the construction of Bogibeel bridge, which started in 2002 and is yet to be completed, one finds a marked difference,” the governor said.

“The cost of Saraighat bridge at that time was Rs 10 crore while the Bogibeel bridge, which is still under construction, has already cost about Rs 2,400 crore. The railways should not compromise their reputation,” Patnaik said.

The public relations officer of NF Railway, Nripendra Bhattacharyya, said the structure of the age-old bridge, which was named after the Sarai village in the area, has remained intact even after five decades.

“NF Railway hired the services of experts from IIT Guwahati in April this year to examine the effect of age on the bridge structure, a vital surface link between the Northeast and the rest of India. The experts found that the structure was completely intact,” he said.

“All the 11 pillars of the bridge are in sound condition. The bridge has been found fit enough to serve the people for many more years. Besides the huge volume of vehicular and passenger traffic, the bridge bears the weight of 85 goods and passenger trains running on it every day,” Bhattacharyya said.