Kolia Bhomora Setu to shut down toll gate permanently

The toll gate on the Kolia Bhomora bridge was shut down today w.e.f from 10 AM Thursday following an order by the Narendra Modi led Centre. The Centre ruled that toll could not be levied on bridges that cost less than Rs 100 crore on its construction. The Kolia Bhomora bridge however was built at a cost of Rs 80 crore. The Office of the Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping was looking into complaints regarding collection of toll from vehicles on the Kolia Bhomora Bridge. The Joint Secretary (Toll) of the ministry was entrusted with the responsibility of looking into the matter. This action of the Union Ministry has come following a complaint over the continuous collection of toll at exorbitant rates on the Kolia Bhomora even after nearly 30 years. The bridge was inaugurated in 1987. Kolia Bhomora Setu is a pre-stressed concrete road bridge over the Brahmaputra River near Tezpur in Assam, India. It is named after the Ahom General Kolia Bhomora Phukan. This bridge connects Sonitpur on the north bank with Nagaon District on the south bank. The length of this bridge is 3015 meters. The construction of the bridge took place from 1981 to 1987.   (Photo: Aditi Gogoi)