Rajnath Singh will inaugurate 35 infra projects on Friday (File)
India is enhancing its border infrastructure at a faster pace, especially along the Line of Actual Control, to strengthen security along the border.
Tomorrow, a steel girder bridge across the Dhak drain on the Joshimath-Malari highway connecting the India-China border in Uttarakhand's Chamoli will be thrown open to the public.
"The Dhak Bridge assumes strategic importance as it provides connectivity to the international border at Rimkhim Axis, Nitipass, and Sumna-Lapthal-Topidunga Road for movement and logistics of our Armed Forces towards the northern borders," explained a senior officer.
According to him, once this bridge is operational, the movement of Army, ITBP personnel, and villagers of the border area will get easier.
The bridge has adequate social significance - it is the only road connecting villages from Joshimath to Nitipass that will invariably boost the socio-economic development in the region, provide a positive impetus to tourism, and generate more employment opportunities.
Till now, traffic passed through a single-lane bridge at Dhak Gadere, 13 km ahead of Joshimath on the Joshimath-Malari Highway.
"As the bridge became old, it was in a dilapidated condition. To ensure that the movement of villagers of border areas and that of the Army and the ITBP is not affected, the BRO has built a 93-meter-span steel girder bridge on Dhak drain. This will ease movement at the border forward post at Neeti Pass, Rimkhim, and other places," an officer said, adding that it is going to be inaugurated by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on January 19.
Along with this bridge, Mr Singh will also inaugurate 34 other infra projects constructed by the BRO, including six roads and 29 bridges.
NDTV has learnt that these projects will cover seven states and Union Territories of northern and northeastern regions.
As per BRO, these infra projects have been constructed under challenging weather conditions, at most inhospitable terrain. Out of these projects, 11 have been constructed in Jammu and Kashmir, nine in Ladakh, eight in Arunachal Pradesh, three in Uttarakhand, two in Sikkim, and one each in Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh.
Critical infrastructure project Ragini-Ustad-Pharkian Gali Road in J&K will also be inaugurated on Friday.
Ragini-Ustad-Pharkian Gali would provide all-weather connectivity between the Tangdhar and Keren sectors.
"It serves as the lifeline for troops deployed along the Line of Control and is vital for the movement of logistics, equipment, and other stores for the defence forces," an official posted in the Valley said.
In the last few years, the BRO has completed targets within the stipulated time. In 2023, BRO completed an unprecedented 125 infrastructure projects at a cost of Rs 3,611 crore.