The Indian Railways is constructing world’s tallest pier bridge in the state of Manipur. The bridge is 141 metres high. It has surpassed the record of 139 metres tall Mala-Rijeka bridge in Montenegro, Europe.
Highlights
The bridge is a part of the 111 km long Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal railway line project. The project is to have 45 tunnels. The 12th tunnel in the project will be the longest tunnel in the North East.
About the bridge
The total length of the bridge is 703 metres. The piers that will hold the bridge are to be constructed with hydraulic augers. The “Slip Form Technique” has been used to construct the bridge.
Background
The Government of India is in the path of developing the North East in every possible way. Several road and railway line projects, inland water way projects are being launched to boost trade and connectivity in the region.
On August 17, 2020, Union Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari laid foundation stone for 13 highway projects in Manipur. The projects were of worth Rs 3,000 crores.
About the Highway Projects
The projects will construct 316 km of highways in the state. The projects will help boost Act East Policy of India.
Act East Policy
The “Look East Policy” was launched by the former PM Mr Narasimha Rao in 1991. This was later upgraded to Act East Policy in 2014 at the East Asia Summit held in Myanmar.
Differences between Act East and Look East Policies
The main focus of the Look East Policy was to shift India’s trading focus from the west to the South East Asian Countries. On the other hand, the Act East Policy focuses on economic and security integration of South East Asia and East Asia.
The Bridge and Act East Policy
The strategic location of Manipur is close to the East and South Asian countries. By developing the transport infrastructure in the state, the trade and connectivity between the state and the South East Asian countries shall be improved.
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