At a cost of Rs 6,000 crore, the first underwater tunnel in Assam would be built between Numaligarh and Gohpur.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, announced that the DPR preparation tenders would open the next month. “I got the idea that since there are multiple bridges over the river, perhaps we could build a tunnel underneath the water. We are aware of the mountainous Atal tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir. Can we build a tunnel through the Brahmaputra River where trains and other vehicles can travel?

“I felt probable that this thought might be a dream and left it,” he continued. I learned that we can build a tunnel beneath the Brahmaputra River one day in Delhi. There were debates on the potential topics. How much money, in Rs. 6000 Crore, will be needed?

We decided it will be between Numaligarh and Gohpur, where both trains and automobiles will travel, Sarma added. On July 4, the DPR tender will go live. God willing, the tunnel construction would be able to begin during my term as chief minister. Narendra Modi, the prime minister, has approved the project. The Brahmaputra’s north and south banks will merge.