Defense minister says India doesn’t believe in war, but will fight if forced to (above: Siyom Bridge in Arunachal Pradesh)
By Vikas Gupta
Trade Standard, 4 Jan 23
In a major step towards bolstering border infrastructure, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday dedicated 28 Border Roads Organization (BRO) infrastructure projects worth Rs 724 crore to the nation.
The inauguration ceremony of the Along-Yinkiong road in Arunachal Pradesh included the physical inauguration of the strategically important Siyom Bridge. It is a state-of-the-art Grade 70 steel architecture superstructure bridge with a length of 100 meters over the Siyom River.
The other 27 projects were virtually dedicated to the nation.
The Ministry of Defense said these projects include 22 bridges, including the Siyom Bridge; three roads and three other projects in seven Border States/Union Territories.
Eight of these projects are in Ladakh; five in Arunachal Pradesh; four in Jammu and Kashmir; three each in Sikkim, Punjab and Uttarakhand and two in Rajasthan.
Furthermore, Rajnath Singh inaugurated three telemedicine nodes – two in Ladakh and one in Mizoram.
With the inauguration of these 28 projects, which were completed in 2022, the BRO dedicated 103 infrastructure projects to the nation last year at a total cost of Rs 2,897 crore, the Ministry of Defense said.
Last October, the Minister of Defense inaugurated 75 projects, worth Rs 2,173 crore, from the village of Shyok in Ladakh.
In 2021, 102 such projects of the BRO have been dedicated to the nation at a cost of Rs 2229 crore.
Addressing the inauguration function, Rajnath said the government’s top priority was to connect the border areas and ensure development for its residents.
“India has always been against war. It is our policy. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought this determination to the world’s attention when he said, “this is not the era of war’. We don’t believe in war, but if it is imposed on us, we will fight,” he said.
Praising the BRO’s role in the confrontation with the Chinese in Ladakh, Rajnath pointed to its crucial role in enhancing the country’s security through infrastructure development in border areas.
“Recently, our forces effectively countered the adversary in the northern sector and handled the situation with bravery and speed. This has been made possible by the proper development of infrastructure in the region. This motivates us even more for the progress of remote areas,” he said.
Rajnath commended the BRO for ensuring socio-economic development even in the most remote border regions, with particular attention to the development of the northeastern region. Coining a new phrase, he said, “BRO is the brother (brother) of the nation.”
The three telemedicine nodes inaugurated online by Rajnath will be connected to hospital services via very small aperture satellite (VSAT) communication systems. These will allow rapid medical intervention through specialists in hospital departments.
Rajnath also published a Compendium on new technologies, which cites the latest technologies the BRO is adopting to negate the effects of remote and hostile terrain with adverse weather conditions. These should affect the quality of engineering and help meet completion deadlines.
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Infra thrust at the Chinese border
· Rajnath Singh inaugurates 28 BRO road projects, worth Rs 724 crore, in seven border states/UT.
· Three VSAT-based telemedicine nodes in Ladakh and Mizoram were also inaugurated.
· “These projects demonstrate the government’s determination towards the development of the border area for better defense preparedness and socio-economic progress,” Rajnath said.
· “India does not believe in war, but if it is forced we are ready to fight,” he said.
