India has carried out a lot of construction activities on the Chinese border in the past three years, BRO Director General Lt. Gen. Rajeev Chaudhry said on Sunday.
The DG was here to inspect the ongoing construction work of an airmail unit of the Border Roads Organization (BRO), touted as the world’s largest 3D concrete printed campus.
Chaudhry said that the Government of India fully supports the BRO for undertaking infrastructure development projects by increasing budget and new technology.
The government of India has “increased our budget by 100 percent in the last two years,” he added.
Asked whether China is undertaking major infrastructure developments near India’s border areas, the DG said a lot of construction activities have been carried out by the BRO and other agencies at the Chinese border in the last three years.
The DG said around 300 BRO projects worth Rs 8,000 crore have been completed in the last few years.
In the last three years, we have set up 295 road projects, bridges, tunnels and airports dedicated to the nation, Chaudhry said.
“Within four months, our 60 additional projects will be completed and the pace of our work has increased,” he added.
The DG said the BRO used steel slag – a by-product of steel – and plastic in road construction.
Nowadays, the working pace of the BRO is quite high and the government has all the support for it, be it in terms of budget, machines, new technology and simplification of procedures. Rest assured that we will leave China behind in the next four to five years, he added.
The DG said the previous government was wary of construction of roads near the Line of Actual Control.
The then Defense Minister AK Antony had made a statement in Parliament in 2008 that China could use the same avenues against India, Chaudhry said.
But today the government thinks differently. Our projects are being promoted,” he added.
Chaudhry said that only two tunnels have been built in 60 years, but four tunnels have been built in the last three years.
“We are currently working on ten tunnels, which will be ready next year and eight more tunnels are planned,” he added, underscoring that tunnels are the most important part of providing the fastest connectivity in all weather conditions.
He said the BRO was using new snow-clearing techniques and machines to reduce the closure time of roads in high altitude areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Tawang and other areas.
Citing an example of Zoji La pass, Chaudhry said it remained closed for six months from October due to snow.
The closing time has been shortened in the past three years, he added.
The DG said road infrastructure development was not just a matter for the security forces.
This also greatly helps in the socio-economic upliftment of people living in remote villages, remote areas and difficult terrains, he said, adding that a road is the backbone of development.
About the BRO’s projects, the DG said that it had constructed the highest motorable road in the world at an altitude of 6,000 meters at Demchok.
Nearly 40 days ago, we started a tunnel at Hanle at an altitude of 4,500 metres, Chaudhry said.
All roads are higher in elevation than Mount Everest base camps, he added.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)