China will get a befitting reply, BRO has started Project-3 on the border

New Delhi : Amid the border dispute with China, India’s focus is on strengthening the infrastructure in the border areas. India is engaged in giving a befitting reply to China by strengthening the infrastructure near the Line of Actual Control. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), in collaboration with the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and the National Project Construction Corporation, has started the third phase of the strategic India-China Border Road (ICBR) project. This will boost the road network in eastern Ladakh, which will facilitate the movement of security forces.

Work on the Shinkun La tunnel begins

PM Modi recently inaugurated the Shinkun La tunnel to improve connectivity from Manali to Leh. More funds have been given for road construction and village development along the border with China. Work is still going on on some key roads under the second phase of ICBR, but most of the phases have been completed. Also, all-weather roads are helping in faster movement of security forces along the Line of Actual Control. Last week, PM Narendra Modi had carried out the first blast for the Shinkun La tunnel. It will ensure all-weather movement from Manali to Leh. The 4.1 km long tunnel is expected to increase the movement of armed forces and equipment.

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Phase-3 of ICBR project started

India and China share a 3,488-km-long border in Ladakh, Arunachal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim. After the 2020 standoff with the Chinese Army in Galwan in eastern Ladakh, the central government has increased the speed of road construction. New roads have been identified under the third phase of ICBR. According to officials, the first two phases were planned in the early 2000s.

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5 roads will be built in Phase-3

According to official data, India has carried out ‘formation cutting’ at a pace of 470 km of roads per year from 2017-20. This includes new alignments and excavation work. This is more than double the 230 km per year being built in the decade till 2017. Under ICBR Phase I and II, 73 roads were identified as strategic. Of them, 61 were assigned to the BRO. In eastern Ladakh, five new roads have been identified under Phase 3. These are to be constructed by the BRO and CPWD, an official familiar with the matter said.

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6500 crore rupees to BRO

In many cases, single or double lane roads have been upgraded to four lanes. Recently, the Union Budget allocated ₹6,500 crore to the BRO for 2024-25. This is 30% more than the allocation for 2023-24. The Union Home Ministry has been allotted ₹1,050 crore for the Vibrant Village programme for the development of border villages along the China border. In 2023, the central government had allocated ₹4,800 crore for 2022-23 to 2025-26 under this programme, including ₹2,500 crore specifically for road connectivity.

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Boom after Doklam standoff

Under the centrally sponsored programme, 2,967 villages in 46 blocks of 19 districts along the northern border in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh have been identified for comprehensive development. In the first phase, 662 villages have been identified for priority coverage. This includes 455 villages in Arunachal Pradesh and 35 in Ladakh. After the 2017 Doklam standoff between India and China, the slow pace of infrastructure construction along the border was flagged by a parliamentary panel.