Fact Checking Government claims over construction of Road Tunnels & Bridges
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 20, 2018
The BJP government published an infographic on the 48-months portal that makes three claims about the tunnels and bridges in India constructed during the 48 months of the government. This article is a fact check of these claims.
The BJP government published an infographic on the 48-months portal that makes three claims about the tunnels and bridges in India constructed during the 48 months of the government. This article is a fact check of these claims.
Has this government built India’s longest Road Tunnel?
The first claim is that India’s longest road tunnel, ‘the Chenani-Nashri tunnel in Jammu’ has been constructed. The annual report of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (2017-18) states that, ‘2017 is the year when engineering marvels like the Dhola Sadiya Bridge in Assam and Chenani Nashri tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir were opened.’
As per the annual report, this tunnel is not only India’s longest highway tunnel but also Asia’s longest bi-directional highway tunnel. It is built at an elevation of 1200 meters and cost Rs. 3,720 crores. The tunnel road is a part of the 286-kilometer-long project for four-laning of the Jammu and Srinagar National Highway.
This project was first approved in the year 2009 by the Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee in the Ministry of Finance in its 28 meeting in October 2009. The approval can also be seen from this press release of the government.  As per another press release of the government, the work on the tunnel started in May 2011.
In response to another question in the Rajya Sabha, the government stated that the physical progress of this tunnel road was 62.69% by August 2014. In other words, majority of the work was complete during the UPA regime.
Claim: India’s longest road tunnel, the Chenani – Nashri tunnel in Jammu is constructed.
Fact: It is true that the Chenani-Nashri tunnel is the longest highway tunnel in India and has been inaugurated in 2017. However, the project was approved in 2009, work started in 2011 and was 62% complete by August 2014, all during the UPA regime. Hence to claim that everything happened during the current government is MISLEADING.
Have bridges been constructed at Baruch and Kota?
The second claim is that bridges over Narmada at Bharuch and Chambal at Kota have been built. The annual report of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (2017-18) states that, ‘a new four lane, extra-dosed bridge across river narmada at baruch, was inaugurated by the prime minister in March 2017, has brought relief for the people travelling on the vadidara-surat section of NH-8.’  The 1.4 kilometre extra dosed cable stayed bridge is the second such bridge in the country and the longest. The report also states that ‘a 6-lane cable stayed bridge across river Chambal at Kota was inaugurated by the Prime Minister in August 2017.’  It was built at a cost of Rs. 278 crores and marks the completion of the east-west corridor.
As per this press release of the government in March 2017,  the extra-dosed bridge across river Narmada at Baruch has been completed in 34 months at a cost of Rs 380 crores. According to this press release of the government in December 2013, the bridge over Narmada was approved during the UPA government.
As far as the bridge at Kota over Chambal river is concerned, this response of the then UPA government in the Lok Sabha in 2011 makes it clear that the project was approved in the year 2006 and that the under construction bridge collapsed when the progress was around 60% in the year 2009. It also goes onto say that modalities are being worked out for completion of the bridge keeping in view the findings of the committee of experts that investigated the cause of collapse, and, taking into account various issue on safety, durability and design aspects of the existing structure. The scheduled date of construction of this bridge was March 2010. The information on when the construction of this bridge resumed is not available. However, it is true that the bridge was inaugurated in 2017.
Claim: Bridges over Narmada at Bharuch and Chambal at Kota.
Fact: The bridge over Narmada at Baruch was approved during the UPA and has been constructed by the present government. The bridge on Chambal at Kota has been under construction since 2006 before a part of it collapsed in 2009. The current government completed the bridge.  Since both the previous government and the current government had a role to play in the construction of these bridges, the claim is PARTLY TRUE.
Has this government constructed India’s longest bridge?
The last claim is that India’s longest bridge, the 9.15kms long Dhola-Sadiya bridge over river Brahmaputra in Assam has been constructed leading to 24×7 connectivity with Eastern Arunachal Pradesh.  The annual report of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (2017-18) states that, ‘India’s longest bridge – the 9.15 kilometre long Bhupen Hazarika Setu Bridge (Dhola Sadiya Bridge) over river Brahmaputra in Assam was inaugurated in May 2017 and that this bridge has ensured 24×7 connectivity between upper Assam and eastern parts of Arunachal Pradesh’.
In the official documents of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, the mention of this bridge was found as far as back in the year 2007. And as per government’s response in the Rajya Sabha in April 2012, tenders were invited and the construction period was fixed as 4.5 years. Hence the bridge was approved and the construction began during the UPA.
Claim: India’s longest Bridge – the 9.15kms long Dhola-Sadiya bridge over river Brahmaputra in Assam. 24 x 7 with Eastern Arunachal Pradesh.
Fact: The Dhola-Sadiya bridge has been constructed over river Brahmaputra and was inaugurated in 2017. However, the construction was in progress before the present government came into power. Hence, the claim is PARTLY TRUE.
This story is part of a larger series on the 4-years of the Modi government. This series has been made possible with the flash grant of the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN). Read the rest of the stories in this series here