New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Saturday dedicated inaugurated the Kupup-Sherathang Road in Sikkim and 74 other infrastructure projects of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) built at a cost of Rs 2,236 crore.
Singh inaugurated the projects virtually from the headquarters of the Trishakti Corps at Sukna in West Bengal.
The defence minister termed the projects a testament to the government’s unwavering resolve to keep strengthening the border infrastructure and ensuring socioeconomic progress of these areas.
These projects will go a long way in enhancing the country’s defence preparedness, he said, adding, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat by 2047’ can be realised through such infrastructure projects.
These 75 BRO infrastructure projects — 22 roads, 51 bridges and two others —
spread across 11 states and union territories have been built at a cost of Rs 2,236 crore, the defence ministry said in a statement.
Nineteen of these projects are in Jammu & Kashmir, 18 in Arunachal Pradesh, 11 in Ladakh, nine in Uttarakhand, six in Sikkim, five in Himachal Pradesh, two each in West Bengal and Rajasthan and one each in Nagaland, Mizoram and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
One of the main highlights was the inauguration of the Kupup-Sherathang Road in Sikkim which serves as a crucial link between Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg and Zuluk axis, the ministry said in a statement.
With the inauguration of these 75 projects, the BRO has completed a total of 111 infrastructure projects in 2024 at an overall cost of Rs 3,751 crore, it said.
This includes 36 projects worth Rs 1,508 crore, such as the state-of-the-art Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year.
Last year, 125 BRO infrastructure projects were dedicated to the nation at a cost of Rs 3,611 crore, the statement added.
Singh commended the grit and determination of the BRO personnel for completing the projects in a time-bound manner even in most challenging terrains and harsh weather conditions, adding that the government, in its third term, aims to further bolster the border infrastructure with “more promptness”.
Referring to the increased allocation of Rs 6,500 crore for the BRO in the Union Budget 2024-25, he expressed hope that it would not only contribute to strategic infrastructure development, but also prove helpful in the socioeconomic progress in the border areas, including the North East region.
He said that governments before 2014 were of the view that the development of border areas “can have an adverse impact as it may be used by the country’s adversaries”.
Singh emphasised that border infrastructure development has been the priority area of the PM Modi-led government ever since it came to power as these regions, especially the North East, and are crucial from the socio-economic and strategic perspectives.
“In the last decade, we have built a vast network of roads from villages to cities, which has resulted in the country witnessing progress at an unprecedented pace,” he said.
Singh assured the people that new dimensions will be added to the development of border areas, and India will be one of the safest and strongest nations in the times to come.
Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Defence Secretary-designate R K Singh, Eastern Command’s General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Lt Gen Ram Chander Tiwari, Border Roads DG Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan, Trishakti Corps General Officer Commanding Lt Gen Zubin A Minwalla were present during the virtual inauguration, while Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang was at the main site in Sherathang.
PTI
