90 BRO infra projects to come up along LAC amid border tensions with China
NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR: Amid tension with China along the Line of Actual Control, India’s focus on increasing connectivity with northern borders was conspicuous on Tuesday as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated 90 infrastructure projects of Border Roads Organisation (BRO), worth over Rs 2,900 crore.
These projects spread across 11 states and Union Territories, were inaugurated by the minister at an event in Jammu. According to the Ministry of Defence, of the 90 projects, 36 are in Arunachal Pradesh; 26 in Ladakh; 11 are in Jammu & Kashmir; five are in Mizoram; three are in Himachal Pradesh; two each in Sikkim, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, and one each in Nagaland, Rajasthan and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
These included the Nechiphu Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh; two airfields in West Bengal; two helipads; 22 roads and 63 bridges. The BRO has completed the construction of these strategically important projects in record time; most of them in a single working season using state-of-the-art technology.
“Together with BRO, we are ensuring that the nation is secure and border areas are developed. Timely completion of infrastructure projects in far-flung areas has now become our new normal,” Singh said.
The event was organised at Devak Bridge on the Bishnah-Kaulpur-Phulpur road, which was inaugurated by the minister. The 422.9 metre-long Class 70 RCC Devak bridge is of strategic importance as it will enhance the operational preparedness of the armed forces and boost the socio-economic development of the region.
Among the projects important for national security inaugurated by Singh was the 500-metre-long Nechiphu Tunnel on the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang road in Arunachal Pradesh. This tunnel, along with the under-construction Sela Tunnel, will provide all-weather connectivity to the strategic Tawang region. It will be beneficial to the armed forces deployed in the region and tourists visiting Tawang.
In addition, the revamped Bagdogra and Barrackpore airfields in West Bengal were also dedicated to the nation. These airfields, reconstructed at a cost of over Rs 500 crore, will not only bolster the preparedness of the Indian Air Force but also facilitate commercial flight operations in the region.
Rajnath Singh also virtually laid the foundation stone of Nyoma airfield in Eastern Ladakh. This airfield, to be developed at a cost of approximately Rs 200 crore, will boost the air infrastructure in Ladakh and augment IAF’s capability along the northern border.
Later, addressing the North Tech Symposium, organised by the Army’s Northern Command, Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers and IIT Jammu, Singh called on domestic defence manufacturers to invest more in R&D.