Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated today a strategically important bridge in Hussainiwala, which was was blown off during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war to stop advance of enemy force's armoured units. After dedicating the 280-foot-long bridge to the nation, she said it connects Ferozepur with Hussainiwala barrage on the Sutlej river.

The bridge is the only lifeline for the residents of more than two dozen villages by connecting Hussainiwala enclave with the rest of the country, the minister said. During the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, four spans of the bridge were demolished on the intervening night of December 3 and 4 to stop advance of enemy force's armoured units.