SOURCE: TNN
With an eye firmly on China, the government plans to hike the budget allocation for the Border Roads Organization (BRO) to Rs 11,800 crore during the ongoing fiscal to boost infrastructure development in forward areas. The announcement came during the inauguration of six new bridges in the border region of Jammu and Kashmir through a video link by defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday.
The annual budget of BRO, which ranged from Rs 3,300 crore to Rs 4,600 crore from 2008 to 2016, was hiked to Rs 8,050 crore in 2019-2020. “With the government focusing on improving infrastructure in border areas, the revised BRO budget for 2020-2021 is likely to be Rs 11,800 crore,” said a defence ministry official.This will give “a major boost” to ongoing projects and will expedite the construction of strategic roads, bridges and tunnels along our northern borders with China, said the official. The proposed move comes at a time when India and China are locked in a troop confrontation in eastern Ladakh.
The minister himself asserted that the government was committed to developing infrastructure in forward areas and would provide adequate funds for it.Four of the new bridges have been built on the Akhnoor-Pallanwala road in Jammu district, while the other two are on the Tarnah Nallah in Kathua district. With spans ranging from 30 to 300 meters, the bridges have been constructed at a cost of Rs 43 crore by the BRO.
The bridges will not only facilitate movement of the armed forces in the strategically important sectors, but also contribute towards the overall economic growth of these border areas.“Our government is committed to promoting infrastructure on our borders and necessary resources will be provided for this. The government has a keen interest in the development of J&K,” said Singh.
“Continued construction of roads and bridges in the border areas with total commitment by BRO would help in realization of the government’s efforts to reach to the remotest areas. Roads are the lifeline of any nation. Roads in the border areas are not only strategic strengths, but also act to connect remote areas with the mainstream,” he added.
Many other development works are either already underway or in the pipeline in keeping with the needs of the people of J&K as well as the armed forces. Roads with a length of totaling around 1,000-km, for instance, are currently under construction in the Jammu region.
With the use of latest technologies and induction of state-of-the-art equipment over the last two years, the BRO has done road cutting work of over 2,200 km and road surfacing of 4,200 km, while also constructing bridges with the length totaling 5,800 meters, said Singh.
