India opens its longest bridge near China border

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) and Sarbananda Sonwal, chief minister of Assam state, wave to the crowd as they inaugurate the Dhola-Sadiya bridge across the River Lohit, a tributary of the River Brahmaputra, in Assam on May 26, 2017. The 9.15-kilometre-long bridge to connect Assam state with Arunachal Pradesh is the longest bridge in India

AFP: India opened its longest bridge close to the border with China in a move seen as bolstering its defences in a sensitive region. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked the third anniversary of his rule by inaugurating the 9.1 kilometre (5.7 mile) long Dhola-Sadiya bridge over the Brahmaputra river that will link Assam and Arunachal Pradesh states.

Indian media Friday made much of the fact that the bridge has been built to support the weight of a 60 tonne tank.

Modi has launched a drive to improve infrastructure in the isolated region, which comprises seven states linked to mainland India by a sliver of land that arches over Bangladesh. 

“This bridge will not only save time and money, but it will bring about a new economical revolution for the people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh,” Modi said.

The structure in mountainous Arunachal Pradesh, he said, will help farmers transport crops and herbs to markets in Assam.

Experts say the $318 million project will consolidate New Delhi’s defences in the region.

“The bridge is going to help our troops get to parts that were earlier difficult to reach in times of crises,” Ajit Singh, a defence research fellow at New Delhi’s Institute for Conflict Management, told AFP.

This handout photograph released by the Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB) on May 26, 2017 shows an aerial view of the Dhola-Sadiya bridge across the River Lohit, a tributary of the River Brahmaputra, which was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Assam. The 9.15-kilometre-long bridge to connect Assam state with Arunachal Pradesh is the longest bridge in India

“It’s a step in the right direction, a proactive step by India to counterbalance China.” 

The government is also constructing a 2,000-kilometre highway to connect the eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh to the western side at an estimated $6 billion cost. It is carrying out a study on a possible new railway network in the area.

Earlier governments refused to construct roads near the border, fearing they could be used by Chinese troops in a conflict.

But in 2014, Modi eased rules on building roads and army facilities near the 4,056 kilometre-long (2,520 mile) border in Arunachal Pradesh, signalling a shift in India’s strategic policy.

Relations between India and China are dogged by mistrust stemming from a brief border war in 1962 over Arunachal Pradesh which has a large ethnic Tibetan population.

The two sides regularly accuse each other of border incursions.

China and India ties soured this month when India boycotted a Beijing summit in opposition to a Chinese-Pakistani economic corridor that runs through disputed Kashmir.

Last month, China protested after India let Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama visit Arunachal Pradesh.

Modi marks three years in power

Reuters: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking three years in power, on Friday inaugurated the country’s longest bridge that spans the vast Brahmaputra River in Assam.

The 9.15 km (5.7 mile) Dhola-Sadiya bridge, strong enough to carry a 60-tonne battle tank, will reduce travel times from Assam to the frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh whose territory is partly claimed by China.

“The inauguration of the bridge marks the end of a long wait for the people of this area,” Modi’s office quoted him as saying in a speech, adding the bridge “opens the door for economic development on a big scale”.

Modi led his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a landslide victory in 2014. He remains popular - his party swept Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, in a recent state election and looks on track to win re-election in 2019.

The 66-year-old prime minister has made upgrading India’s infrastructure a priority, also setting up a ministry to develop India’s remote northeast beyond the so-called Chicken’s Neck – a narrow strip of territory around Bangladesh. Modi’s trip to Assam, during which he will deliver a public address later in the day, rounded off a week of festivities and briefings to highlight his government’s achievements. He embarks on a European tour this week.