India builds 24 bridges, 3 roads

New Delhi: To ensure swift movement of troops at borders with China and Pakistan, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed 24 bridges and three roads, including at the height of over 19,000 feet in Ladakh, in four States and two Union Territories. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually inaugurated these 24 bridges and three roads from Delhi.

Of the 24 bridges, nine are in Jammu and Kashmir, five each in Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, three in Uttarakhand and one each in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Of the three roads, two are in Ladakh and one is in West Bengal. The projects e-inaugurated by Singh have been completed on important road axis and laterals along the Northern and Eastern borders of the country.

The highlight was the inauguration of India's first indigenous class 70 — 140-feet Double-Lane Modular Bridge — built at the height of 11,000 feet at Flag Hill Dokala, Sikkim and Chisumle-Demchok road at Umling La Pass at over 19,000 feet in Ladakh which also holds the Guinness World Record of world's highest motorable road.

The 33-km Flag Hill-Dokla road will reduce the travel time for Indian troops to reach Dokla area near the Doklam plateau where a 73-day standfoff took place between Indian and Chinese armies in 2017. It is an alternate route to the border areas near the India-Tibet-Bhutan tri-junction where China has been aggressively ramping up military infrastructure. Earlier, there was just one route to Dokla from the Bheem Base completed in 2018.

The 52-km-long road connecting Chisumale to Demchock cutting through the Umling La (Pass) at 19,300 feet provides an alternate route from Leh to the strategically important Demchock. Speaking on the occasion, the minister termed the inauguration a "reflection" of the BRO's commitment to the progress of border areas and exuded confidence that these construction works would go a long way in the development of a New India.