News Brief
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with Indian Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi
In a big boost to connectivity in the border regions of India, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday (12 October) virtually inaugurated 75 infrastructure projects of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
These projects, with a combined cost of Rs 2,236 crore, include 22 roads, 51 bridges, and two additional structures spread across 11 states and union territories.
The projects cover key areas including Jammu & Kashmir (19 projects), Arunachal Pradesh (18 projects), Ladakh (11 projects), Uttarakhand (9 project), Sikkim (6 projects), Himachal Pradesh (5 projects), two each in West Bengal and Rajasthan, and one each in Nagaland, Mizoram, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Singh launched the projects from the Trishakti Corps Headquarters in Sukna, West Bengal.
The Kupup-Sherathang Road in Sikkim, which serves as a vital link between Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg and the Zuluk axis, was one of the projects inaugurated during the event.
The launch of these projects comes amid the border standoff with China, which has rapidly developed infrastructure projects along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
He added that these projects will go a long way in enhancing the defence preparedness of the country.
With the inauguration of these 75 projects, BRO has completed a total of 111 infrastructure projects in 2024 at an overall cost of Rs 3,751 crore.
This includes 36 projects worth Rs 1,508 crore, such as the state-of-the-art Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh, inaugurated by the Prime Minister earlier this year, according to a government release.
Last year, 125 infrastructure projects of BRO were dedicated to the nation at a cost of Rs 3,611 crore.