Jorhat, June 24: Land disputes and the lackadaisical attitude of the state power and forest departments have posed a major hurdle in commissioning of the country's longest bridge project, connecting Dhola and Sadiya in the easternmost tip of Assam.

The 9.15km bridge over the Brahmaputra is slated for commissioning in March next year, about five years after construction commenced on the Rs 876-crore strategic project aiming to improve road connectivity to Arunachal Pradesh.

"With over 90 per cent of the work completed, the bridge would have been ready in time, but the problem lies with the 19km approach road. There has been a land dispute along a 10km stretch through which the road will be constructed. Although the authorities have paid compensation to the settlers, they have refused to vacate the land demanding more compensation," said a senior official of the Navayuga Dhola Infra Projects Limited, the company working on the project. The official added that the response from the state departments has also been very poor causing a delay in the project's commissioning. " More than 300 power poles are yet to be shifted and many trees have also to be uprooted to make way to build the approach road. It's been more than two years now that both these departments were informed about the matter, but there has been no response."

The official also said the ministry of road transport and highways had already paid funds to both these departments about a year ago to carry out the work, but still noting had been initiated.

"We, on our part, have been informing the authorities time and again ," said the official. The Dhola-Sadiya bridge will be 3.55km longer than the sea link over the Mahim bay in Mumbai - the longest bridge in the country so far - and would enhance the armed forces' commute to the China border.

The bridge, when completed, will not only cater to the needs of the people of Sadiya sub-division but also be the lifeline for the residents of eastern districts of Arunachal Pradesh. The project over the Brahmaputra was one of the toughest for the company as the river keeps altering its course, spanning from 0.5km in winter to 12km when it gets flooded during the monsoon.

Two cranes, reminiscent of the grim memories of the flash floods that washed out the construction site a few years back, are yet to be recovered from the river bed. "Due to the ever-changing course of the river, we had planned this bridge," he added. Construction work had also been stalled in 2012 for nearly four months because of floods. "We have faced many hurdles during the course of the project, and now when it is about to be completed, another obstacle has cropped up," he added.