Naranarayan Setu

Naranarayan Setu is one of the most prosperous completed projects of the government of India. The Nar Narayana Setu is a bridge on the river Brahmaputra. It also happens to be the third bridge on that river in the north eastern state of Assam. The Nar Narayan Setu has a unique design and feature which is that the bridge has a double deck. One of the decks has railway tracks on it while the other has a road over it. With a total length of more than 2 kilometers, Nar Narayan Setu links Jogighopa which is a town in the Bongaigaon District (North of River) with Pancharatna which is a town in the Goalpara District (South of River). One of the dream projects of the government, the Bridge was inaugurated in the year 1998 by Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was the Prime Minister of India back then. It is estimated that a lump sum total of more than three hundred crores were spent on this bridge and its faithful construction.

The bridge and the project got a green signal and its foundation laying was done by the then Prime Minister of India Smt. Indira Gandhi in 1983. The actual work of contraction of the bridge started in 1987 - 1988.

Dedicated in the name to King Naranarayan, the Nar Narayan Setu has important cultural and development value too. The Bridge connects northern Bengal and Northern Bihar with Assam and also to parts of Meghalaya. The opening of road network also opens up new possibilities of trade with other countries that fall in the SAARC region while also boosting the speed of development in the states connected to the mainland of India through the Nar Narayan Setu which will be facilitated by the movement of both rail and road. The previous route for food grains was long and hence took much longer for food to reach there during the peak of monsoon, this bridge opens up new possibilities of faster connect in terms of flood of natural disasters. The banks of such products in the central India can easily supply them to the north eastern states. The state of Meghalaya and its coal mines in the Garo Hills also stand to benefit with this as their coal can now be taken out to the rest of the country. This connectivity will further boost the developmental process for the states connected with the northern parts of Bihar and Bengal.

Geography

\The Nar Narayan Setu is basically constructed near the Bongaigaon District of Assam. The district lies at a distance of 200 kms from the state capital and it is known for its industrial spaces. The town gained importance in the year 1908 when it was blessed with a railway line. Located close to the Brahmaputra river, the district is famous for the refinery that it has. The refinery acts as a centre for industrial development in the state of Assam. The climate of the district is usually warm and humid with a mild winter. The town is further served by National Highway 31 that connects Assam with Bihar and Jharkhand.

Description of the Bridge

The Rail India Technical and Economic Services established the preliminary plan for the project. Research, Design and standards Organization in Lucknow did the final design.

Due to the heavy water transportation in the Brahmaputra River, the Inland water transport department had told to clear 90 meters for the larger vessels in future. To ensure this, a total of 125 meters of space has been provided between each pier.

Building this bridge over a river like Brahmaputra was a huge challenge for the engineers. At first, the Naranarayan Setu was supposed to be constructed of 624 meter span cable-stay module which would minimize the difference in formations. But due to technical shortcomings, the ideal was later dropped.

The construction boasts of two decks of traffic, one for rail and the other for roadways. This path breaking design is further being used to create another bridge over the Brahmaputra in Assam.

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