North India's first cable bridge named Atal Setu inaugurated in Jammu and Kashmir

North India’s first cable-stayed bridge named Atal Setu was inaugurated on Dunera-Basohli-Bhadharwah road in Basohali town in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.
It was inaugurated by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar along with Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh and Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag.

About Basohli Cable-Stayed Bridge

• Basohli Cable-Stayed Bridge is 592-metre long and has been constructed over Ravi River on Dunera- Basohli-Bhadharwah road.
• The work of bridge started in September 2011. It has been constructed by Border Roads Organization (BRO) at a cost of Rs 145 crore.
• It is a joint venture (JV) of Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON) and SP Singla Construction group.
• It will provide close connectivity among the three states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. It would boost connectivity and tourism among the three states.
• The bridge is strategically important from the defence point of view as well. It is fourth of its kind in the country and first in North India and Jammu and Kashmir.

Other three major cable-stayed bridges in the country are: (i) Vidyasagar Setu – Over the Hoogly River in Kolkata (West Bengal). (ii) Bandra-Worli Sea Link (Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link) – Mumbai (Maharashtra). (iii) New Yamuna Bridge- Over Yamuna River in Allahabad (Uttar Pradeh).

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2015