Infra development along borders to help locals, troops
*Total cost of projects to go up to Rs 6000 cr
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 7: Following inauguration of 90 infrastructure development projects and laying foundation stone of strategically important Nyoma airfield in Leh in the Union Territory of Ladakh physically and virtually from Samba district of Jammu region on September 12 by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) will be completing another 60 projects by December this year.
Total cost of these projects will be approximately Rs 6000 crore and number of projects by December will be between 150 to 160, official sources told the Excelsior.
While the Defence Minister who will be accompanied by Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh will physically inaugurate Devak bridge in Samba district, rest of 89 projects will be dedicated virtually.
The projects have been built by the BRO at a cost of Rs 2,941 crore in 10 border States and Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Rajnath will also lay foundation stone of Nyoma airfield in Leh district in the UT of Ladakh virtually from Samba which will be constructed at the cost of Rs 218 crore and will be of very strategically significant for the Indian Air Force (IAF) especially in the wake of ongoing Sino-Indian standoff in Eastern Ladakh and to meet future challenges in the area.
Located at a height of 13,400 feet, Nyoma is about 46 kilometres from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
“The airfield will boost air infrastructure in Ladakh and augment IAF capability in Eastern Ladakh,” the sources said.
“It’s a great moment for the nation that so many projects are being constructed in the border areas which is strengthening the security metrics of the Army so they can get deployed as far forward as possible and take care of any critical situations if they arise,” BRO Director General Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry told a news agency ahead of Rajnath Singh’s visit to the Jammu region.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said the Defence Minister will inaugurate and dedicate 90 of our projects including 22 roads, 63 bridges, one tunnel in Arunachal and two strategic airfields, Bagdogra and Barrackpore and two helipads, one each in Rajasthan and Ladakh between Sasoma-Sasser La.
Rajnath will physically inaugurate Devak bridge at Basantar in Samba district in the presence of Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh and BJP Lok Sabha member Jugal Kishore Sharma in the morning of September 12. Rajnath and Dr Jitendra Singh will also address the gathering.
The Central Government has been giving very importance to infrastructure development along China and Pakistan border including construction of roads, bridges, tunnels, helipads etc which will help the people living in forward areas and boost movement of security personnel.
Rajnath Singh along with Dr Jitendra Singh, Lieutenant Governors of J&K and Ladakh Manoj Sinha and Brig (Retd) BD Mishra will also attend North Tech Symposium at IIT Jammu on September 12. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Anil Chauhan and Army chief Gen Manoj Pande will also be present.
The BRO chief stated that India will be ahead of China in infrastructure development along the borders.
“Our focus is totally on Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh and we are going much ahead and much faster there to in fact beat China, if I may say so, in another two to three years,” the Director General of BRO, said.
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