Saraighat

Saraighat (Pron: ˌʃəraɪˈgɑ:t) is a place near Guwahati in Assam, on the north bank of the river Brahmaputra. Sarai was a small village where the old abandoned N.F. Railway station of Amingaon was located. The famous Battle of Saraighat was fought near this place on the river.

There is a road-cum-rail bridge over the river Brahmaputra joining the north & the south banks at Saraighat. This bridge is the first bridge on river Brahmaputra in Assam.

Saraighat Bridge

Saraighat Bridge is the first rail-cum-road bridge constructed over the Brahmaputra River in Guwahati. It was opened to traffic in April 1962 by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The Lachit Borphukan Park is situated on the south end and Chilarai Park situated on the north end of the bridge. The bridge was built for the North Frontier Railway.

Construction of Saraighat Bridge was started on January 1958. It was opened to goods traffic in October, 1962 and opened for passenger traffic on 7 June 1963. The estimated cost of the bridge was Rs.10,65,16,891. A new three lane concrete road bridge is being constructed by the side of the Saraighat Bridge.

Saraighat Express

The Saraighat Express is a daily superfast train which runs between Howrah (Kolkata) and Guwahati (Assam).

History

The train is named after the famous Battle of Saraighat fought between Mughals and Ahom rulers of Assam (Ahom Kingdom) in which Mughals were defeated by the Ahoms under the great leadership of Mahavir Lachit Borphukan Commander-in-Chief. The train belongs to Eastern Railways zone of Indian Railway headquartered at Howrah.

The train numbered as 12345/12346 and being under superfast category is into the 2xxx number range.

Coach Composition

The train is composed of all the available class of travel in Indian Railways - 1st AC(1A),2nd AC(2A),3rd AC(3A),Sleeper(SL),General Unreserved Class.The coach composition for the train is 1A/2A COMPOSITE- 1(HA-1); 2A- 1(A-1), 3A- 3(B-1,B-2,B-3), SL- 13(S-1 # S-13), PC- 1; GENL- 3; SLR- 2.Total number of coaches being 24.Tatkal scheme is available in this train. The train is usually hauled by WDP-4, WDP-4B and WDP-4D from Siliguri loco shed. Its one of the best train to travel from Assam to Kolkata

Bridge

A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles without closing the way underneath such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle. There are many different designs that each serve a particular purpose and apply to different situations. Designs of bridges vary depending on the function of the bridge, the nature of the terrain where the bridge is constructed and anchored, the material used to make it, and the funds available to build it.

Etymology

The Oxford English Dictionary traces the origin of the word bridge to an Old English word brycg, of the same meaning. The word can be traced directly back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰrēw-. The word for the card game of the same name has a different origin.

History

The first bridges made by humans were probably spans of cut wooden logs or planks and eventually stones, using a simple support and crossbeam arrangement. Some early Americans used trees or bamboo poles to cross small caverns or wells to get from one place to another. A common form of lashing sticks, logs, and deciduous branches together involved the use of long reeds or other harvested fibers woven together to form a connective rope capable of binding and holding together the materials used in early bridges.

Guwahati

Guwahati (ⁱ/ɡʊwəˈhɑːti/; Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam, Gauhati in the modern era) is the largest city of Assam, a major riverine port city and one of the fastest growing cities in India.

The ancient cities of Pragjyotishpura and Durjaya (North Guwahati) were the capitals of the ancient state of Kamarupa under the Varman and Pala dynasties. Many ancient Hindu temples are in the city, giving it the name "City of Temples".Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the seat of the Government of Assam.

Guwahati lies between the banks of the Brahmaputra River and the foothills of the Shillong plateau, with LGB International Airport to the west and the town of Narengi to the east. It is gradually being expanded as North Guwahati to the northern bank of the Brahmaputra. The noted Madan Kamdev is situated 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Guwahati. The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), the city's local government, administers an area of 216 square kilometres (83 sq mi), while the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is the planning and development body of greater Guwahati Metropolitan Area. With an area of 1,528 square kilometres (590 sq mi), Guwahati is the second-largest metropolitan region in eastern India, after Kolkata.

Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime minister is the presiding member and chairman of the cabinet. In a minority of systems, notably in semi-presidential systems of government, a prime minister is the official who is appointed to manage the civil service and execute the directives of the head of state.

In parliamentary systems fashioned after the Westminster system, the prime minister is the presiding and actual head of government and head of the executive branch. In such systems, the head of state or the head of state's official representative (i.e. the monarch, president, or governor-general) usually holds a largely ceremonial position, although often with reserve powers.

The prime minister is often, but not always, a member of parliament and is expected with other ministers to ensure the passage of bills through the legislature. In some monarchies the monarch may also exercise executive powers (known as the royal prerogative) that are constitutionally vested in the crown and may be exercised without the approval of parliament.