Guwahati: The detailed project report (DPR) of Assam's first underwater tunnel to be constructed between Numaligarh and Gohpur at a cost of ₹6,000 crore, has been completed. The greenfield project involves the construction of India's first-ever road tunnel beneath a major river and is likely to come up for Union cabinet approval shortly.
The tunnel is strategically important as the area is close to Arunachal Pradesh which shares its borders with China and is expected to be completed in five years.
A senior officer in the Assam government told ET, "The DPR is ready and shortly the project will be placed before the Union cabinet for approval." Given the scale of the project, the final approving authority is the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure headed by the prime minister.
The Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), which gave its nod for the proposed tunnel, has sought a scientific analysis on the project's potential impact on soil stability, groundwater flow, sediment dynamics, and seismic vulnerability.
The project is being implemented by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited ( NHIDCL).
An official said that the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) has prepared the DPR and technically appraised by the Project Appraisal and Technical Scrutiny Committee (PATSC) in NHIDCL. Considering the scale and complexity of the project, a construction period of five years is envisaged after the award of the project.
The NHIDCL earlier conducted a survey on the feasibility of the tunnel project and finalised its alignment. The tentative length of the project is 33.7 km, inclusive of the tunnel and the road from Gohpur to Numaligarh. The depth of the tunnel can be gauged from the fact that the top of the tunnel crown is proposed to be approximately 32 m below the lowest bed level of the river Brahmaputra, which itself is very deep at this stretch.
The official said it was decided to construct the tunnel under the Brahmaputra due to strategic reasons, emphasising the nation's defence-security perspective.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier said "I had a thought that there are several bridges over the river but why can't we have a tunnel under water? We know about the Atal tunnel of Jammu and Kashmir amidst the mountains. I was thinking, 'Can we have a tunnel under the river Brahmaputra where trains and vehicles can move?"
"I thought this was just a dream and left it. One day, in Delhi, I was told that we can have a tunnel under the river Brahmaputra. Discussions took place on where it will be set up and how much money will be required. We decided that it will come between Numaligarh and Gohpur where both trains and vehicles will move. The two banks of Brahmaputra North and south will come closer now," he had said earlier.
The tunnel is strategically important as the area is close to Arunachal Pradesh which shares its borders with China and is expected to be completed in five years.
A senior officer in the Assam government told ET, "The DPR is ready and shortly the project will be placed before the Union cabinet for approval." Given the scale of the project, the final approving authority is the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure headed by the prime minister.
The Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), which gave its nod for the proposed tunnel, has sought a scientific analysis on the project's potential impact on soil stability, groundwater flow, sediment dynamics, and seismic vulnerability.
The project is being implemented by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited ( NHIDCL).
An official said that the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) has prepared the DPR and technically appraised by the Project Appraisal and Technical Scrutiny Committee (PATSC) in NHIDCL. Considering the scale and complexity of the project, a construction period of five years is envisaged after the award of the project.
The NHIDCL earlier conducted a survey on the feasibility of the tunnel project and finalised its alignment. The tentative length of the project is 33.7 km, inclusive of the tunnel and the road from Gohpur to Numaligarh. The depth of the tunnel can be gauged from the fact that the top of the tunnel crown is proposed to be approximately 32 m below the lowest bed level of the river Brahmaputra, which itself is very deep at this stretch.
The official said it was decided to construct the tunnel under the Brahmaputra due to strategic reasons, emphasising the nation's defence-security perspective.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier said "I had a thought that there are several bridges over the river but why can't we have a tunnel under water? We know about the Atal tunnel of Jammu and Kashmir amidst the mountains. I was thinking, 'Can we have a tunnel under the river Brahmaputra where trains and vehicles can move?"
"I thought this was just a dream and left it. One day, in Delhi, I was told that we can have a tunnel under the river Brahmaputra. Discussions took place on where it will be set up and how much money will be required. We decided that it will come between Numaligarh and Gohpur where both trains and vehicles will move. The two banks of Brahmaputra North and south will come closer now," he had said earlier.
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