CHANDIGARH, 24 Sep: India has been carrying out a lot of construction activities at the China border in the last three years, BRO Director General Lt General Rajeev Chaudhry said on Sunday.
The DG was here to inspect the ongoing construction work for an air dispatch unit of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), touted to be the world’s largest 3D concrete printed campus.
Chaudhry said that the government of India is fully supporting the BRO for carrying out infrastructure development projects by way of increasing the budget and new technology.
The government of India has “increased our budget by 100 per cent in the last two years,” he added.
When asked if China is carrying out big infrastructure development near the border areas of India, the DG said that a lot of construction activities have been carried out by the BRO and other agencies at the China border in the last three years.
The DG said that around 300 BRO projects worth Rs 8,000 crore were completed in the last few years.
“In the last three years, we set up 295 road projects, bridges, tunnels and airfields which were dedicated to the nation,” Chaudhry said.
“In four months, our 60 more projects will be ready and the pace of our work has increased,” he added.
The DG said that the BRO is using steel slag – a byproduct of steel – and plastic in the construction of roads.
“Today, the BRO’s pace of work is quite fast and the government has complete support in it, be it the budget, machines, new technology and simplification of procedures. You can rest assured that we will leave China behind in the next four to five years,” he added.
The DG said that the previous government was wary of constructing roads near the line of actual control (LAC).
The then defence minister, AK Antony, had in 2008 made a statement in Parliament that China could use the same roads against India, said Chaudhry.
“But today, the government is thinking in a different way. Our projects are being promoted,” he added.
Chaudhry said that only two tunnels were constructed in 60 years but in the last three years, four tunnels have been built.
“We are presently working on 10 tunnels, which will be ready by next year, and
eight more tunnels are planned,” he added, underlining that tunnels are the most important component of providing fastest and all-weather connectivity.
He said that the BRO is using new techniques and machines for snow clearance in order to reduce the closure time of roads located at high altitude areas in Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Tawang and other areas.
Citing the example of Zoji La pass, Chaudhry said that it used to remain shut for six months, starting from October, because of snow. “The closure time has been shrunk in the past three years,” he added.
The DG said that road infrastructure development is not only for the security forces. “This also immensely helps for socioeconomic upgradation of people who live in remote villages and distant areas and difficult terrains,” he said, adding that “a road is the backbone of development.”
On the BRO’s projects, the DG said that it constructed the world’s highest motorable road at 19,000 feet in Demchok. “Nearly 40 days ago, we started a tunnel at Hanle at 15,000 feet,” Chaudhry said.
All roads are higher in height than the base camps of the Mount Everest, he added. (PTI)
