GUWAHATI: A bridge over the Brahmaputra, connecting the city to North Guwahati , may finally become a reality after 14 years of being confined to paper. A day after a mechanized country boat sank in the Brahmaputra, an accident that could have been avoided had the proposed bridge been in place, state finance and PWD minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the government will take up the matter on a priority basis."The bridge is the only permanent solution," Sarma said on Thursday, referring to the proposed road-only six-lane bridge connecting the southern and northern banks of the Brahmaputra in the city.TOI had on Wednesday reported on the long wait for the North Guwahati bridge, in the absence of which people are left with no option but to take unsafe mechanized country boats to travel to and from North Guwahati. While the demand for the bridge was first raised 40 years ago, governments have come up with seven plans in 14 years to provide faster and easier connectivity to North Guwahati - not one of which materialized.The proposed bridge, announced by Sarma in this year's budget, will reduce travelling time to North Guwahati via Saraighat Bridge to a great extent. Travelling by road over the Saraighat Bridge is both time-consuming and expensive. The total length of bridge will be 1.6 km, of which 1.24 km will be designed as a multi-span extradosed bridge - a technology superior to conventional bridge designs in terms of construction, safety and aesthetics."We have received approval for external aid from the finance ministry. We will avail a loan of Rs 2,000 crore from the BRICS New Development Bank. IIT-Guwahati has finalized the design. We hope to start construction of the bridge within the next six months and complete it by 2022," he added. The finance ministry had cleared the external funding last February.According to the state government's proposal, outlay for the bridge is estimated at Rs 1,890 crore, of which the BRICS Bank is to provide Rs 1,512 crore. The state government has so far sanctioned Rs 250 crore for preparation of the detailed project report, land acquisition and rehabilitation.Until the bridge is completed, the government will consider all options for providing a safer mode of transport for the people."We did stop operation of such boats several times earlier. Each time, we had to resume services because of the people's demand. There are reports that the boats do not have life jackets, which is mandatory. Some boats, I have been told, are not in proper condition. The government will discuss these issues and take a decision," the minister said."We may increase the frequency of ferries, but that would only be a stop-gap arrangement," he added.

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