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Assam Congress President and Jorhat candidate Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday slammed the BJP government after the collapse of the Gammon Bridge over the Dikhow river in Sivasagar, asking Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to intervene.
According to Gogoi's letter to the Road Transport and Highways Minister, a section of the Gammon Bridge over the Dikhow River in Sivasagar district had collapsed in the early hours of March 28, hampering the traffic on NH-37. There was no loss of lives reported. In an X post, the Congress leader alleged that the system failed to act in time against the warning signs. He slammed Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for "neglecting" basic infrastructure in the state. He wrote, "The collapse of the Gammon Bridge over the Dikhow river in Sivasagar has crippled NH-37, the lifeline of Upper Assam. What is indefensible is this: the bridge had already shown signs of structural distress. Warnings existed. Yet, the system failed to act in time." "This is the reality of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's headline-driven governance - grand announcements, but neglect of basic infrastructure on the ground. I have written to the Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari ji, seeking urgent intervention and immediate restoration of connectivity. The people of Assam deserve better than governance that reacts after damage is done," the X post read. In his letter to Nitin Gadkari, Gogoi wrote, "The failure of a bridge that has been in service since 1963 raises serious concerns about infrastructure safety, maintenance protocols, and the timeliness of intervention by the concerned authorities. It is particularly worrying that structural fatigue and visible distress had reportedly been identified nearly a month ago, yet the preventive measures undertaken did not avert this collapse." He urged the ministry to take "immediate and comprehensive steps to address the situation, including ensuring swift restoration of connectivity, reviewing existing maintenance and monitoring mechanisms, and putting in place stronger safeguards to prevent such incidents in the future. It is essential that infrastructure across the region is assessed proactively and that timely interventions are prioritised to maintain public safety and confidence." Decades old Gammon Bridge serves as a crucial link on NH-37. Even during the Winter Session of Parliament in December 2025, Gaurav Gogoi had flagged the "poor quality" of NH-37 between Jorhat and Dibrugarh in Assam, while Union Minister Nitin Gadkari assured him of action to improve it. (ANI)
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