The Bridge Over The River Tlawng
After a series of daring engineering feats, delays, and divine intervention, Mizoram has successfully launched India’s first ropeway-installed Basket Handle Network Arch Bridge across the Tlawng river.
Well, they’ve only gone and done it. After a bit of faffing about, a few prayers, and what can only be described as a steel ballet performed by very large machines, Mizoram has finally hoisted its rather swanky new 100-metre, two-lane network arch bridge across the Tlawng river. And not just any bridge, mind you — we’re talking a Basket Handle Network Arch Bridge. Sounds like something you’d find in a Scandinavian flat-pack furniture store, but it’s rather more robust and quite a bit heavier — 432 tonnes, to be precise.
The bridge, which now connects the capital Aizawl to Lengpui Airport, was gently nudged into place on Monday after a nail-biting build-up and a prayer session that would’ve made even the most cynical of atheists cross their fingers. The operation kicked off at an unholy hour (7am — not even the tea was ready), with local pastor Lalchungnunga Hauhnar doing the honours in blessing the bridge before it made its majestic leap across the river.
You see, this wasn’t just a matter of backing up a lorry and dropping it down with a cheery “that’ll do.” No, sir. This was a high-stakes hoist involving a ropeway system — yes, a ropeway — which is a bit like hanging your entire shed on a clothesline and hoping for the best. According to Podder Infratech, the wizards behind this engineering conjuring trick, this is the first time in India such a hulking hunk of steel has been dangled and delivered across a river in this fashion.
It hasn’t all been tea and crumpets, though. The first attempt back in December last year ended with a rather inconvenient snap! of a hanger (not the coat kind, the critical-supporting-the-entire-bridge kind), leading to a halt and a collective holding of breath. At that point, one imagines a few choice words were uttered, followed by an emergency committee meeting involving blueprints, biscuits, and bended knees.
Still, setbacks be damned, the team ploughed on like true Army in the rain. Construction had begun way back in March 2021, with hopes of a two-year completion. But then COVID came along, wagged its finger, and said, “Not so fast, sunshine.” Progress stalled, tempers frayed, and yet, the dream of that arch spanning the Tlawng did not die.
And on this fine April Monday, the dream came to life.
What does this mean for Mizoram? Well, aside from the obvious perks of better airport access and a dazzling new landmark to show off to relatives, it’s also a proud moment of resilience, faith, and sheer bloody-minded perseverance. The bridge stands not just as a marvel of modern engineering, but as a monument to the kind of determination that says: “Even if the rope snaps, we’ll tie another knot and carry on.”
So here’s raising a mug of strong tea to the bridge builders, the prayer warriors, and everyone who looked at a river and said, “We’re not going around. We’re going over.”
Now, if only Indian trains ran with such precision…
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