Govt finds mega highway project for N-E feasible

In what may be one of the largest infrastructure projects of northeast, the water resource ministry has found ambitious Brahmaputra Express Highways project technically feasible.

The project involves constructing highways on both the bank of Brahmaputra thereby mitigating the impact of flood and erosion.

The project, which is estimated to cost about `64,564 crore to the Centre, will be constructed with dredged materials of the river.

The ministry’s preliminary survey stated that it would help in integrated stabilisation of both the banks and reclamation of eroded areas for sustainable solution of flood and erosion besides developing the waterways for navigation from Sadiya to Dhubri in the state of Assam.

Union minister for road transport highways and shipping Nitin Gadkari had floated the idea of the Brahmaputra Express Highways for which an MoU has already been signed between the Central and Assam governments in March

The project involves construction of highways on both the bank of Brahmaputra, thereby mitigating the impact of flood and erosion

this year.

Brahmaputra is the world’s fourth largest river.

Out of its total 2,900km trans-boundary length from Tibet up to the Bay of Bengal, 981km is through India of which 268km is in the subHimalayan terrains of Arunachal Pradesh and 650km in the plains of Assam.

The expressway crest will be 2.5m higher than the highest flood level of Brahmaputra.

The crest will maintain reach-wise flood gradients of the Brahmaputra, which annually carries the loads of 650 million tons of sediment, ever since it underwent morphological changes after the 1950’s earthquake. The water resource ministry conducted the initial survey through Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS).