ITANAGAR, 12 Sep: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday virtually inaugurated 36 road and bridge projects in Arunachal Pradesh, including the strategically located Nechiphu tunnel connecting Tawang with Assam’s Balipara.
The defence minister dedicated to the nation a total of 90 key border infrastructure projects across the country virtually from Jammu.
The 90 projects of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) along the line of actual control with China are worth Rs 2,941 crore.
Singh virtually inaugurated 22 roads, 63 bridges, the Nechiphu tunnel, two airfields, and two helipads across the nation, BRO officials said.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Director General of Police Anand Mohan witnessed the event from Sessa in West Kameng district.
“An architectural masterpiece, the strategically located tunnel will facilitate the swift movement of troops as well as citizens,” Khandu said.
Underscoring the significance of the tunnel, he said that it will not only shorten the distance for people travelling on the BCT road but also ease the danger of driving in the fog that engulfs the area for most part of the year.
“Dense fog in the area made travelling on the curvy road most dangerous. Many fatal accidents have occurred in the area. This tunnel will now bypass the fog zone, providing safe travel to all,” he added.
Situated at an altitude of 5,700 feet, the Nechiphu tunnel on the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang road in West Kameng district is a unique D-shaped single-tube double-lane tunnel that will provide all-weather connectivity to the strategic Tawang region and will be beneficial for both armed forces and tourists, officials said.
The tunnel will bypass the Nechiphu Pass, where extreme foggy conditions prevail, causing hindrance to general traffic and military convoys.
“An architectural masterpiece, the strategically located tunnel will facilitate the swift movement of troops as well as citizens. Cutting a short distance by about 5 kms, the tunnel will provide ease of travel and connectivity in the stretch that has dense fog,” Khandu said on X.
The BRO has recently completed the construction of eight roads in Arunachal along the LAC at a cost of Rs 678 crore.
Of the total projects dedicated to the nation by Singh, 11 are in Jammu & Kashmir, 26 in Ladakh, 36 in Arunachal, five in Mizoram, three in Himachal Pradesh, two each in Sikkim, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, and one each in Nagaland, Rajasthan, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The projects inaugurated in Arunachal include eight road projects and 20 bridges. (CM’s PR Cell & PTI)