In a major boost for riverine connectivity in Assam, the long-delayed construction of the Jorhat-Majuli bridge is set to resume in December, ending a year-long standstill. The project, which will connect Jorhat to the world’s largest river island, Majuli, across the Brahmaputra River, had been stalled since September 2024.
Work on the ambitious 8.25-km bridge was halted after the original contractor, UP State Bridge Corporation Ltd, surrendered the project having completed only 32% of the work. This move cast significant doubt on the project’s original 2025 completion deadline.
The project’s revival comes after the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) awarded the remaining work to a new contractor, Haryana-based SPS Construction India Pvt Ltd. In a key decision aimed at preventing future delays, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has included a clause in the new contract explicitly prohibiting any sub-contracting.
The restart was confirmed following a high-level site inspection on Sunday by Majuli MLA Bhuban Gam, PWD Chief Engineer Debajit Das, and Majuli District Commissioner Ratul Chandra Pathak.
MLA Bhuban Gam announced that the new contractor is already mobilising resources at the site, with work scheduled to begin in December. He also confirmed that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who originally launched the construction in November 2021, will officiate the restart ceremony.
PWD Chief Engineer Debajit Das provided an accelerated timeline for the project, stating that the main bridge and the 19.5-km approach roads will be constructed simultaneously. “Two years have been allotted for completing the project, but it may finish even earlier,” Das said. The financial outlay for the bridge is Rs 659 crore, with an additional Rs 194 crore sanctioned for the approach roads.
For the residents of Majuli, who currently depend on unreliable and often disrupted ferry services, the bridge promises to end the island’s geographical isolation, providing all-weather connectivity and promoting significant economic and social development for the region.
