Inauguration of border infrastructure projects
Recently Defense Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated 90 border infrastructure projects including the Nechiphu Tunnel providing all-weather connectivity to the strategic Tawang region of Arunachal Pradesh. Of the 90 projects of the Border Roads Organisation, 64 are in Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Sikkim.
Projects worth over Rs 2,900 crore include the Nechiphu Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh, two helipads along with two airfields in West Bengal, 22 roads and 63 bridges. Other major projects inaugurated include Bagdogra and Barrackpore airfields in West Bengal.
The 500 meter long Nechiphu Tunnel on Balipara-Charduar-Tawang Road, along with the Se La Tunnel currently under construction, will provide year-round connectivity to the strategic Tawang sector on the LAC.
These projects will help in rapid movement of troops and equipment along the Line of Actual Control in case of a contingency. The overall connectivity for the population will also improve. Along with this, the foundation stone project of a major military airfield at Nyoma in Eastern Ladakh was inaugurated.
The Border Roads Organization (BRO) has achieved a major achievement by constructing the world’s highest combat airfield at Nyoma in Ladakh. The Nyoma airfield will act as a staging ground for Indian troops at forward positions in eastern Ladakh and will be a game-changer for our armed forces.
Importance of Tawang area-
- Provides easiest access to the Brahmaputra plains and shortest route to Tezpur in Assam.
- Lines of communication from Tawang also extend to the Guwahati and Siliguri corridors, making it militarily important.
- Also inaugurated Devak Bridge on Bishnah-Kaulpur-Phulpur Road in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Shinku La Tunnel
- The Defense Minister said that BRO will soon set a record with the construction of Shinku La Tunnel, the world’s highest tunnel at an altitude of 15,855 feet.
- It will connect Lahaul-Spiti in Himachal Pradesh to Zanskar Valley in Ladakh and provide all-weather connectivity.
- With the inauguration of 90 projects, 295 infrastructure projects of BRO have been inaugurated from 2021 at a total cost of Rs 8,000 crore.
Border Roads Organization (BRO):
- BRO was conceived and established in the year 1960 by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to coordinate rapid development of road construction in the northern and north-eastern border areas of the country.
- It functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence.
- BRO develops and maintains the road network in the border areas of India and friendly neighboring countries.
- BRO has created a Guinness World Record for “Highest Altitude Road” at Umling La in November 2021.
Source – Indian Express
