A major challenge in the construction of the Bogibeel rail-cum-road bridge — set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25 — was finding the required skilled manpower, and convincing the personnel to work in the hostile conditions of Upper Assam.“Getting the required manpower on this project in this part of the country, that too ensuring they were technically qualified was a task,” R.V.R Kishore, project director for HCC, the company which built the steel superstructure, told The Hindu. The bridge was under-construction for 16 years.Over time, they managed to mobilise 120 engineers and 300 welders from different parts of India. The challenge with getting welders was that they had to be qualified as per European codes and welding standards.
