Four years ago, no one would have imagined Christian Michel would be brought back to India: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday inaugurated the country's longest rail-cum-road bridge over Brahmaputra river at Bogibeel near Dibrugarh in Assam.

After reaching Dibrugarh in the afternoon from New Delhi, Modi directly flew to Bogibeel in a chopper and inaugurated the 4.94-km-long double-decker bridge from the southern bank of the river.Modi along with Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also walked a few metres on the bridge.

Addressing a public rally in Dhemaji, Assam, he said: "Four years ago nobody would have imagined that a man who was involved in a helicopter scam would be brought to India. Our govt managed to do it.

He added: "About 16 years ago, Atal Ji came here. He had a vision for the development of the Bogibeel Bridge. This Bridge is also a tribute to his vision. When Vajpayee ji's Government lost power in 2004, several key infrastructure projects of his era were not completed. Things have changed after May 2014 when topmost priority is being accorded to key projects. Delayed infra projects were adversely impacting India's development trajectory. When we assumed office, we added speed to these projects & worked towards their quick completion."

The strategically important bridge over the mighty Brahmaputra will remove communication bottlenecks to several districts in Arunachal Pradesh.

The bridge, which begins at Dibrugarh and ends at Dhemaji districts of Assam, will connect parts of Arunachal Pradesh by road as well as railway.

The Bogibeel Bridge, which was a part of the Assam Accord and sanctioned in 1997-98, is likely to play a crucial role in defence movement along the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh.