NEW DELHI: India is prepared to inaugurate soon 43 bridges mostly lying in states with the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
A source said, “Of the total 43 brides completed and are waiting for the inauguration, eight bridges are in Arunachal Pradesh, two in Himachal Pradesh, 10 in Jammu and Kashmir, seven in Ladakh, four in Sikkim, and eight in Uttarakhand”.
Four more are being constructed in Punjab, towards the western borders with Pakistan, he said.
Maj Gen SB Asthana (Retd), a defence analyst, says bridges are very important for connectivity in mountains. “Even a small gap keeps you away from the borders and the people living there are not connected with the other parts of the country.”
For the movement of the military and its vehicles, these bridges are the only way to cross the gorges which at times are very deep. This helps in maintaining logistics in these far-flung areas, tell Maj Gen Asthana.
India has made it clear that it will continue to build infrastructure to connect with the far-flung areas as it is through these roads and bridges the services and development can be extended.
China has been protesting against India's infrastructure development along the LAC.
The Border Roads Organisation has built more than 40 bridges between 2018-2019 in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh (Kargil and Leh), Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh.