In yet another shot in the arm to improve border road connectivity in India, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh dedicated 24 bridges and three roads, built by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in four States and two Union Territories across the country through a virtual event from New Delhi.
Of the 24 bridges, 9 bridges are in Jammu & Kashmir, 5 each in Ladakh & Himachal Pradesh, 3 in Uttarakhand and 1 each in Sikkim & Arunachal Pradesh. Additionally, two roads were also inaugurated in Ladakh and one in West Bengal.
It is noteworthy that, India’s first indigenous Class 70 140-feet Double-Lane Modular Bridge, built at the height of 11,000 feet at Flag Hill Dokala, Sikkim was inaugurated today.
Besides, Chisumle-Demchok road at Umling La Pass at over 19,000 feet in Ladakh was also e-inaugurated by the Defence Minister, which also holds the Guinness World Record of world’s highest motorable road.
Speaking on the occasion, Defence Minister Rajanth Singh termed the inauguration as a reflection of the BRO’s commitment to the progress of border areas and exuded confidence that these construction works would go a long way in the development of a New India.
“The road at Umling-La pass will enable faster movement of Armed Forces, boost tourism and ensure socio-economic development of the region. Roads in border areas cater to the strategic needs and ensure equal participation of remote areas in the development of the nation,” Defence Minister said.
Notably, the projects e-inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have been completed on important road axis and laterals along the Northern and Eastern borders of the country.
BRO’s infra projects: Shining example of ‘Aatmanirbharta’
The Defence Minister described the indigenous Double-Lane Modular Bridge as a shining example of ‘Aatmanirbharta’ and lauded the fact that it has been developed at a much lower cost and can be dismantled, if need be.
“It is an important milestone on the path to achieve ‘Make in India’ as envisioned by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is a symbol of the Government’s resolve to provide faster connectivity to border areas. It will also pave the way for the construction of more bridges in such areas,” he added.
With the launch of these strategically important infrastructure, the tally of BRO executed infrastructure projects has reached a record total of 102 in a single working season.
Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh R K Mathur, Minister of Roads and Bridges, Government of Sikkim Samdup Lepcha, Member of Parliament Tirath Singh Rawat, General-Officer-Commanding, Chinar Corps Lieutenant General D P Pandey and BRO personnel attended the event virtually.
BRO’s Guinness World Record
On November 16, 2021, the Director General Border Roads (DGBR), Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry received the Guinness World Records certificate for the achievement of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for constructing and blacktopping the world’s highest motorable road at 19,024 feet at Umlingla Pass in Ladakh.
BRO received the Guinness World Records certificate for the 52-kilometre long Chisumle to Demchok tarmac road. It passes through the 19,024 feet high Umlingla Pass and betters the previous record of a road in Bolivia, which connects volcano Uturuncu at 18,953 feet.
The Umlingla Pass road is another landmark in resurgent India’s achievement. It has been constructed at an altitude higher than the North and South Base Camps of Mount Everest which are at an altitude of 16,900 feet and 17,598 feet respectively.
BRO’s 63 strategically important frontier bridges
In June this year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh dedicated 63 strategically important bridges constructed by Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
From Kunjan bridge on Leh-Loma road, the Defence Minister virtually inaugurated a record number of infra projects at a click in eight different states of the nation. Amongst the bridges, 11 bridges are in Ladakh, 4 in Jammu and Kashmir, 3 in Himachal Pradesh, 6 in Uttarakhand, 8 in Sikkim, 1 each in Nagaland and Manipur, and 29 in Arunachal Pradesh.
Inaugurating the projects, Rajnath Singh asserted, “The roads being constructed by BRO have been increasing the pace of development in India. 63 bridges and roads were inaugurated today. This has happened due to the hard work of BRO personnel.”
The BRO’s commitment towards establishing connectivity to far-flung border areas is highly commendable. I’m confident that the bridges inaugurated today will play a crucial role in strengthening security as well as promoting the economic development of the respective states through improved connectivity, the Defence Minister said in a series of tweets.
