Strategic road development - News/Discussions

[Indx TechStyle]

Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Ministry of Defence

17-March-2017 17:47 IST

Roads Along Border Areas
The State-wise details of road entrusted to Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for construction/improvement in the border areas are as per enclosed.

STATE WISE ROADS ENTRUSTED TO BRO IN THE COUNTRY FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION / IMPROVEMENT:

In addition, 04 strategic railway lines for construction and final location survey by Ministry of Railways, has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security as under:-

(i)Misamari (Bhalukpong)-Tenga-Tawang

(ii)Phasighat-Parsuramkund-Rupai

(iii) Bilaspur-Mandi-Manali-Leh to be connected to Pathankot

(iv) North Lakhimpur-Bame (Along)-Silapathar

Further, no road project is entrusted to BRO in Uttar Pradesh.

There are certain delays in execution of road projects mainly due to the following reasons:-

(i) Delay in Forest/wildlife clearance

(ii) Hard rock stretches

(iii) Limited working season

(iv) Difficulties in availability of construction materials

(v) Delay in land acquisition

(e) The Government has taken following measures to expedite the construction works:-

(i) States of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have constituted the Empowered Committee to resolve the issues pertaining to BRO.

(ii) Outsourcing has been allowed to augment capacity of BRO.

(iii) Long Term Roll On Works Plan (LTRoWP) and Long Term Equipment Plan (LTEP) have been approved.

(iv) Enhanced financial and administrative powers have been given to the executives of BRO.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri Harinarayan Rajbhar in Lok Sabha today.


NAMPI/Rajib
Release ID: 159463

 

[Chinmoy]

Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Ministry of Defence

17-March-2017 17:47 IST

Roads Along Border Areas
The State-wise details of road entrusted to Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for construction/improvement in the border areas are as per enclosed.

STATE WISE ROADS ENTRUSTED TO BRO IN THE COUNTRY FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION / IMPROVEMENT:

In addition, 04 strategic railway lines for construction and final location survey by Ministry of Railways, has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security as under:-

(i)Misamari (Bhalukpong)-Tenga-Tawang

(ii)Phasighat-Parsuramkund-Rupai

(iii) Bilaspur-Mandi-Manali-Leh to be connected to Pathankot

(iv) North Lakhimpur-Bame (Along)-Silapathar

Further, no road project is entrusted to BRO in Uttar Pradesh.

There are certain delays in execution of road projects mainly due to the following reasons:-

(i) Delay in Forest/wildlife clearance

(ii) Hard rock stretches

(iii) Limited working season

(iv) Difficulties in availability of construction materials

(v) Delay in land acquisition

(e) The Government has taken following measures to expedite the construction works:-

(i) States of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have constituted the Empowered Committee to resolve the issues pertaining to BRO.

(ii) Outsourcing has been allowed to augment capacity of BRO.

(iii) Long Term Roll On Works Plan (LTRoWP) and Long Term Equipment Plan (LTEP) have been approved.

(iv) Enhanced financial and administrative powers have been given to the executives of BRO.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri Harinarayan Rajbhar in Lok Sabha today.


NAMPI/Rajib
Release ID: 159463

Some interesting fact about three of these Railway lines.

In addition, 04 strategic railway lines for construction and final location survey by Ministry of Railways, has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security as under:-

(i)Misamari (Bhalukpong)-Tenga-Tawang

(ii)Phasighat-Parsuramkund-Rupai

(iv) North Lakhimpur-Bame (Along)-Silapathar

(i) There is already one existing railway line upto Bhalukpong which is lying useless for decades. Its being a meter gauge needs an upliftment to broad gauge.

(ii) Broadgauge track is available upto Rupai-Siding. Again for long time it has been lying useless. Needs extension from Dum Duma.

(iv) Again tracks were lying useless there upto NLP. Only recently it has been pushed into use with introduction of train from Naharlagun in AP to Delhi.

These facts show the amount of apathy the strategic asset and security of country had faced in last few decades.

 

[alphacentury]

Read somewhere that new roads on NE front are of very shoddy quality. How true is this?

 

[Chinmoy]

Read somewhere that new roads on NE front are of very shoddy quality. How true is this?

First of all which roads the report is talking of?

If possible, kindly share the report and we could discuss on it. As far as quality of newly built roads are concerned, they are as comparable to any other part of India. The real problem in this part is the unique geography. These does take a heavy toll on any sort of civil construction. The hard part is the maintenance of the roads.

 

[Prashant12]

India's longest bridge to be inaugurated near China border

DIBRUGARH: India's longest river bridge, capable of withstanding the weight of a 60-tonne battle tank, will be inaugurated in Assam close to the border with China on May 26 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

With the inauguration of the 9.15-km-long Dhola-Sadiya bridge over the Brahmaputra river, the prime minister will kick start the celebrations of the NDA government's three years in office from this eastern-most part of Assam.

The bridge is seen as an attempt by India to shore up its defence requirements along the Sino-Indian border particularly in the Northeast besides providing easy access to the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam with air and rail connectivity.

It is 3.55 km longer than the Bandra-Worli sea link in Mumbai, making it the longest bridge in India.

"The prime minister will dedicate the strategically important bridge to the nation on May 26. It will bolster the road connectivity in the Northeast as the bridge will be used by people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh besides defence forces extensively," Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal told PTI.

The construction of the bridge began in 2011 at a project cost of Rs 950 crore. The design is such that the bridge can withstand the movement of military tanks.

"Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have huge strategic value to the country. Since the bridge is located close to our border with China, it will help quick movement of military troops and artillery in times of conflict," Sonowal said.

The bridge is located 540-km away from Assam capital Dispur and 300 km away from Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar. The aerial distance to the Chinese border is less than 100 km.

After Kaliabhomora bridge near Tezpur, there is no bridge over the Brahmaputra for the next 375 km upstream till Dhola, where the new bridge is constructed. Currently, all the transport between the two banks of the river are being carried out through water only.

The bridge, when opened for the public, will cut down the travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by as much as four hours.

As there is no civilian airport in Arunachal Pradesh, this bridge will help people of the state to reach the nearest rail head in Tinsukia and the airport in Dibrugarh easily.

Sonowal said the delayed works of the bridge was expedited after Modi assumed the charge in 2014. The bridge was originally scheduled to open in 2015.

The BJP government in Assam will complete one year in office on May 24.

The bridge is one of the key projects of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in the Northeast and is built in public-private partnership with a construction company

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...ed-near-china-border/articleshow/58666899.cms

 

[Prashant12]

Army Races to Build Strategic Roads to China Border

A Himalayan task is staring at the Indian Army as it needs to finish the key portions of three strategic roads leading to the China border before the onset of monsoon, which will put a screeching halt for the next six months to all construction activities in the Northeast region.

The Border Security Force has put all the resources at its command to meet the targets, which the military road builder set for itself for the year, with the Indian Air Force as well as the Army actively helping it to meet the daunting task.

At present, three axis are planned for construction to establish all-weather connectivity up to Tawang, where the situation is so critical that the Army cannot reach to many difficult terrains in a day, in case of war, while the People’s Liberation Army of China can reach borders within two or three hours with a robust infrastructure at its command.

The pathetic state of infrastructure in this side of the border came in sharp focus last month, when Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, visited the Tawang Valley, which left China sulking and after effects of the visit were still being felt in the bilateral ties.

The work was progressing on Balipara-Charduar-Tenga-Tawang road, which is the one of the main axis of the three roads. Under the 317.28 km project commenced in May 2015, the formation of 192.73 km stretch has been completed, while the surfacing of 145.74 km is under progress, sources in the Army told UNI.

The road stretch of 50 km passes through Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh and Nameri Tiger Reserve in Assam, the main stumbling blocks for the project. The terrains in the Valley are posing difficult challenges for the BRO as heavy equipment, including bulldozers and cranes, required for the road construction in the mountain region cannot be taken in one part.

The IAF choppers were carrying out daily sorties to ferry these equipment after being dismantled in many parts. All the construction activities were said to be monitored by the Prime Minister’s Office directly, with the Narendra Modi Government advancing the deadlines to 2018, which was earlier set for 2020.

The work on the alternate axis, which is Orang-Kalaktang-Rupa-Shergaon-Morshing-Phudung-Mandala-Debrabu-Naga GG-BJ Gompa-Lagamche GG-Mukto-Teli-Bomdir-Tawang, was also progressing on the war footing. ‘The work on Orang-Shergaon is under development of the National Highways Development specification, while the stretch of Shergaon-Naga GG is under maintenance,’ said the sources.

The third axis of Pinjoli-Buragaon-Dibbin-Mathow-Tungri-Chhangla-Pangila-Pota-TselaMago Road has already been operationally endorsed by the Army and works will be taken up, once the construction of main axis is completed, they said. A long spell of six-month monsoon will make the construction work extremely hazardous as mountains in this part of the region are said to be highly elusive.

With environment clearance coming faster under the Modi Government, the progress on the strategic road projects have seen a remarkable progress, but the challenges posed the nature remain insurmountable. ‘Heavy rainfall will trigger landslides and long stretches of the newly constructed roads may not survive the fury,’ said an official, who is monitoring the project and reporting to the progress to New Delhi.

He said considering the fact that Tawang area was of critical importance to the security of the nation, no effort is spared in ensuring completion of the construction of the roads in a phased and timely approach.

https://www.northeasttoday.in/army-races-to-build-strategic-roads-to-china-border/

 

[Hari Sud]

Can somebody draw maps of these and other roads...... thank you.

 

[Chinmoy]

Can somebody draw maps of these and other roads...... thank you.

Problem with these 2nd and 3rd axis is, it virtually doesn't exist. Last time I had been to Rupa, the road to Shergaon was nothing more then dirt track. Although its been long that I had been there, but I could simply imagine the job engineers and workers had to endure to bypass Bomdilla in this axis. Now from Mukto to Tawang, its again same. Although vehicles do play on daily basis from Tawang to Mukto, less said is better.

Third axis depend entirely on Bhalukpong-Tawang axis. Its only been endorsed and so its completion would take no where less then 2 to 3 years.

Anyway would be visiting Tawang soon enough. Would try to capture most of these in my visit.

 

[brational]

Can somebody draw maps of these and other roads...... thank you.

Yeh lo..

Red marked stretches were complete in 2015.

 

[Chinmoy]

Yeh lo..

Red marked stretches were complete in 2015.
View attachment 15914

These completed parts are of axis one. Now one could really see where the 2nd and 3rd axis originates and are.

 

[Chinmoy]

Modi to open Dhola-Sadiya bridge, India’s longest, over Brahmaputra tributary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to open the 9.15 km Dhola-Sadiya bridge on May 26 during his visit to Assam to attend the BJP-led state government’s first anniversary. After the Dhola-Sadiya bridge, Northeast to get two more record-breaking spans and a tunnel.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate India’s longest span, the 9.15 km Dhola-Sadiya bridge across river Lohit at the easternmost tip of Assam, on May 26.

The bridge is 3.55 km longer than the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai. The opening of the bridge is among the highlights of Modi’s programme during his visit to Assam to attend the first anniversary of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government.

Lohit is one of three rivers – the others are Dibang and Siang – that meet to form the Brahmaputra downstream of the site of the bridge that connects Dhola village and Sadiya town, 540 km east of Assam’s principal city Guwahati.

Sadiya is the birthplace of balladeer Bhupen Hazarika.

The bridge, designed to facilitate the movement of battle tanks, is expected to help movement of troops to the border with China in the Wallong-Kibithu sector in southern Arunachal Pradesh. The sector had fallen along with Tawang in the northwest to the Chinese in the 1962 war.

The project, worth ₹950 crore, was started in 2011. It will reduce the travel time for people on either bank of river Lohit by at least eight hours.

But Dhola-Sadiya is not the only bridge in the Northeast that will go into the record books.

Longest rail-road bridge

Also expected to be inaugurated by 2018 is Bogibeel, the fourth and easternmost bridge across the Brahmaputra. This bridge near Dibrugarh town, 4.94 km in length, will be India’s longest road-rail bridge.

Like Dhola-Sadiya, Bogibeel will also be of immense strategic importance as it will enable faster troop movements across the Brahmaputra besides providing a direct link between people on opposite banks who have to take a 500km detour via the existing Kalia Bhomora Bridge downstream.

Bogibeel connects Dibrugarh town on the southern bank of Brahmaputra and Silapathar on the northern bank.

The construction of the bridge, approved in 1996, was initiated by the first BJP-led NDA government in 2002. The Congress-led UPA government acknowledged the strategic importance of the bridge and declared it as a national project in 2007.

But the progress of the project, undertaken by the firm that build Bandra-Worli Sea Link, has been slow. The cost has thus spiralled from the initial Rs 1,767 crore in 2002 to Rs 6,000 crore now.

Dhola-Sadiya is not the only bridge in the Northeast that will go into the record books. (Pronib Das/HT Photo)
Longest tunnel, tallest rail bridge

Arguably Indian Railway’s toughest project, this line will boast of two Indian records once completed by 2020. These are the longest railway tunnel and the tallest railway bridge.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) started construction of this line – originally part of the ambitious Trans-Asian Railway – in 2008 after it was declared as a national project. Railway officials said work was progressing at speed despite challenges of weather, terrain and militants.

The project is in two sections – the 84km Jiribam-Tupul and the 27km Tupul-Imphal – spanning 111km. The track will pass through 45 tunnels, 25 of which were completed by April 2016.

The total length of the tunnels would be 60.2 km, which is more than half the total track length, and the longest one (Tunnel 12) would be 11.55 km long to displace the current record-holder Banihal in in Kashmir from the top spot by 100 metres.

“The two sections have 22 major and 142 minor bridges. These include what will be the world’s tallest rail bridge with a pier height of 141 metres – almost equal to two Qutab Minars stacked over each other,” NFR spokesperson Pranav Jyoti Sharma told HT.

Because of terrain and scanty population, the entire stretch of this project will have nine stations, Tupul on the outskirts of Manipur capital Imphal being the easternmost.

The Dhola-Sadiya bridge will reduce the travel time for people on either bank of river Lohit by at least eight hours. (Pronib Das/HT Photo)
The anticipated cost of the project is Rs 9,657 crore, which compares favourably with the similarly treacherous 210 km Lumding-Silchar hill section in Assam that was sanctioned in 1996-97 at an initial cost of Rs 648 crore but ended up costing Rs 6,000 crore upon completion in 2015.

The railway line is expected to give Manipur’s landlocked Imphal Valley – often troubled by highway blockades in the surrounding Naga hills – a cheaper route to the India beyond. Also, the movement of goods by train is expected to bring down prices from India, though Manipur sustains mainly through imports from Myanmar.

The railway line from Manipur is expected to be extended to Moreh on the border with Myanmar where border trade averages Rs 350 million annually.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...a-tributary/story-rgbh1DwG0dfJjUavVXmhmJ.html

 

[Prashant12]

BRO to construct tunnels to cut down distance to China border in Arunachal

ITANAGAR: The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) will construct two tunnels through 4170-metre-high Sela Pass in Arunachal Pradesh, which would cut down the distance to China border through Tawang by 10 km.

"The tunnels would cut down at least an hour of travel time between the Army's 4 Corps headquarters at Tezpur and Tawang. Moreover, the tunnels would ensure that NH 13 and especially the 171 km stretch between Bomdila and Tawang, remains accessible in all weather conditions," a BRO release said here today.

This is in keeping with India's bid for faster access to the Tibet frontier through the tough terrain of the state in the Eastern Himalayas.

RS Rao, the commander of the 42 Border Road Task Force under BRO's Project Vartak has initiated formal requisition to West Kameng Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sonal Swaroop for acquisition of land for construction of Sela Tunnel, the release said.

The project constitutes widening of existing single lane road to NH double lane specifications from Baisaki and then taking off a greenfield alignment of length 12.37 km.

It also includes construction of two tunnels of length 475 metres and 1790 meters each through Sela-Chabrela ridge meeting the existing Balipara-Chaudur-Tawang road on Nurarang side, it said.

The above alignment has been approved by the chief engineer, Project Vartak.

There is a shorter but less used road along the Bhutan border via Orang in Assam and Kalaktang in Arunachal Pradesh.

"Due to construction of tunnels across Sela pass the road length reduces by approximately 6.5 km in addition obviates high altitude, steep gradient and hair pin bends on either side of Sela pass which, would bring relief to commuters as lot of hardships have to be faced in winter season due to snowfall at on Sela pass," the release said.

"Sela tunnel will add to the tourist potential of Tawang and attract more tourists making Tawang a more popular destination in North East region," it added.

"The new alignment of the road to Tawang involves 12. 37 km and the construction of two tunnels to bypass Sela and a number of hairpin bends. The altitude of the new alignment will vary between 11,000 and 12,000 ft," Swaroop informed from Bomdila, the district headquarters.


"The survey for land acquisition will start after the monsoon," she added.
The BRO, which manages the roads across India's borders, has completed technical details of the proposed tunnels.


They would be a boon to the Indian army troops in winters when heavy snowfall hinders connectivity on roads.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-border-in-arunachal/articleshow/59740010.cms

 

[Hari Sud]

Tawang is very important to India hence tunnels become very important. Why has it taken 60 years to think of those.

Remember Sela Pass has two trails which bypass it from Bumla Pass at Chinese border at McMohan Line. Those trails were used by the Chinese in 1962 to appear in a battalion strength behind Sela Pass. The Indian military command panicked and vacated Sela. Had they held on as it had ample supplies to last a month, then hungry and poorly supplied Chinese would have surrendered to the Indians as it was a three days march for Chinese to get any supplies to the troops at the front. There was a brigade lead by Brigadier Hoshiar Singh at Sela Pass and a brigade at Bomdial and Drong. They could have crushed the advance Chinese troops and denied Chinese victory. But Alas! We had bad generals who ran away from a fight.

 

[Chinmoy]

Tawang is very important to India hence tunnels become very important. Why has it taken 60 years to think of those.

Remember Sela Pass has two trails which bypass it from Bumla Pass at Chinese border at McMohan Line. Those trails were used by the Chinese in 1962 to appear in a battalion strength behind Sela Pass. The Indian military command panicked and vacated Sela. Had they held on as it had ample supplies to last a month, then hungry and poorly supplied Chinese would have surrendered to the Indians as it was a three days march for Chinese to get any supplies to the troops at the front. There was a brigade lead by Brigadier Hoshiar Singh at Sela Pass and a brigade at Bomdial and Drong. They could have crushed the advance Chinese troops and denied Chinese victory. But Alas! We had bad generals who ran away from a fight.

No way one is going to bypass Sela top from Bumla. Let me share a map.

Now towards south, the circled portion around point 13 is Sela pass and BumLa is at north circled in red again. During 1962 aggression, Chinese troops did entered through BumLa and Khinjamin or Zemithang axis towards left of Tawang. Once Tawang fall and IA retreated from there, PLA faced a tough challenge from Rfn Jaswant Singh on now famous Jaswant Garh, which is again towards the north of Sela Pass, around 17 odd kms from peak.

The Chinese had not been able to outflank Jaswant Singh and his comrade for three days and there was no way they had approached him from behind. Its utter failure at IA top brass when they changed the top command in mid of war under direct order of government.

On lighter note, I am not going to take the tunnel way for Tawng in my life and miss the ample opportunity to enjoy nature at its best from Baisakhi to Nurnang :biggrin2:

 

[Prashant12]

IL&FS wins Jammu & Kashmir's Zojila tunnel project in re-bidding

MUMBAI: Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) is set to bag the project to build the Zojila tunnel that will provide all-year connectivity between Srinagar and Leh, two people aware of the development said.

The other bidders for the tunnel project are Larsen & Toubro, Reliance Infrastructure and Jaiprakash Ventures.

The tunnel, to be built at an altitude of 3,528 metres, will provide an alternative to the national highway that connects Srinagar and Leh but remains shut for close to six months due to snow.

Mumbai-based IL&FS’ bid of Rs 4,849 crore stunned industry executives as it is lower than the reserve price of Rs 5,630 set by the government.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...roject-in-re-bidding/articleshow/59814097.cms

 

[Chinmoy]

Indian Air Force clears 12 national highways as emergency landing strips

http://www.firstpost.com/india/indi...ways-as-emergency-landing-strips-3872615.html

 

[Prashant12]

Defence Ministry approves delegation of powers to BRO


The Ministry of Defence has decided to delegate administrative and financial powers to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to avoid delays on account of references between the Chief Engineer, HQ DGBR and the Ministry.

The Defence Ministry intends to bring transformational changes in the organisation in order to improve the pace of execution of works and to achieve desired outcomes according to the requirement of the armed forces.

Enhancing the powers at all levels in the BRO, the Ministry of Defence has now approved that for both departmental and contractual mode of execution, a chief engineer of the BRO can accord administrative approval up to Rs. 50 crore, ADGBR up to Rs. 75 crore and DGBR up to Rs. 100 crore.

Earlier, a chief engineer in the BRO had the power to accept execution of contracts only up to Rs. 10 crore, ADGBR had powers up to Rs. 20 crore, beyond which all tenders had to be sent to DGBR.

But now with the intent to speed up the tendering process, the Ministry of Defence has enhanced the powers of chief engineer for acceptance of bids with cost of contract up to Rs. 100 crore and that of ADGBR for cost of contract up to Rs. 300 crore.

The Ministry of Defence has approved policy guidelines based on which the BRO may engage big construction companies for taking up road projects on a turnkey basis.

It is expected that with delegation of powers by the Ministry of Defence to the BRO, the pace of road construction in border areas would improve and the BRO would be able to complete ongoing and new projects in compressed timelines.

Functioning under the control of the Ministry of Defence since 2015, the BRO is engaged in road construction to provide connectivity to difficult and inaccessible regions in the border areas of the country.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-defence-ministry-approves-delegation-of-powers-to-bro-2535983

 

[Prashant12]

BRO speeds up road construction at border after Doklam standoff


NEW DELHI: The Doklam military standoff has prompted the Border Roads Organisation(BRO) to fast-track construction of roads that will ensure quick mobilisation of troops in case of a conflict, top government officials have said.

India-China Border Roads (ICBR) will now be constructed over much longer stretches and new construction equipment will replace obsolete ones that have often malfunctioned at high altitudes leading to delay in construction.

Longer stretches and new equipment would drastically reduce construction time and lead to quick movement of troops, supplies and artillery guns up to the Line of Actual Control.

There are 73 planned ICBRs along LAC, whose construction began in 1999. The Border Roads Organisation under the Ministry of Defence was tasked with constructing 61 of these roads.

The remaining 12 roads are being constructed by other agencies. BRO has completed the construction of 27 out of the 61roads. Most of these roads are located in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh, two primary border trouble spots. Out of the remaining 34 roads, 13 are tougher ones, which are yet to be individually connected. This will be done by 2021, according to a senior government official. Twenty-one of the 34 roads have to be carpeted with different materials. The BRO plans to complete all 61 roads by 2022.

“Due to the Doklam standoff, the construction of ICBRs is moving at a fast pace. This is being done to facilitate the movement of troops in case of a conflict with China. And with the delegation of powers, we hope we can cut down the road construction period by a year,” the official said.

The defence ministry recently delegated powers to BRO to give administrative approval for outsourcing consultancy services for making Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the roads. In the past, BRO had powers to get DPRs produced for only small stretches. With the enhancement of powers it can make DPRs for road networks, leading to the construction of better-planned roads.

“Earlier any road that needed to be planned holistically the consultancy was very little, so we could not ask for DPRs for longer stretches. Also, not very capable firms came to us, so sometimes DPR would get delayed. With enhanced powers, we are hopeful to take on bigger road packages. This way we will have more capable firms coming to us,” said another government official.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...fter-doklam-standoff/articleshow/60282798.cms

 

[Prashant12]

Defence ministry official visits Rohtang tunnel


MANALI: Joint secretary (air, ceremonial and border roads) Bharat Khera in his two-day visit to Himachal took stock of work in progress at Rohtang tunnel.

Rohtang tunnel chief engineer Colonel NM Chandrana briefed him on the present status, including the challenges that engineers are facing.

"The joint secretary from ministry of defence gave his suggestions to improve the progress of the work. He also appreciated the strategies adopted by the engineers," Chandrana said.

Lt Col Parikshit Mehra explained the technical aspects of the project, while chief engineer assured the joint secretary that the digging of the tunnel would be completed by October. Of the total 8.8km-long tunnel, 276 metre tunnel is still left to be drilled.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...sits-rohtang-tunnel/articleshow/60343656.cms?

 

[Prashant12]

Border Roads Organisation completes defence road to China border



Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], Sept.5 (ANI): The 14-year-old 71.3-kilometer-long Sarli-Huri Road in Kurung Kumey district, a defence road, leading to the China border, has been completed by Project Arunank of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

The project was taken up by 85 RCC/756 BRTF of Project Arunank in May 2006. Since then, relentless efforts have been made braving inhospitable terrain to achieve the goal of linking Pipa, Damin, Huri and other remote villages.

This would facilitate the movement of defence forces for reasons of national security and boost socio-economic development of villagers, BRO sources told ANI.

Indian Air Force helicopters airlifted heavy construction plant and machinery in slings after dismantling them to number of parts from Ziro to Damin. They were reassembled at the remote base before being pressed into service.

A new road from Huri-Taliha in Upper Subansiri district and a new 155-km green field alignment was also completed recently.

As directed by the Defence Ministry last year, Project Arunank marched forward from Ziro to Jeevan, ahead of Koloriang in April last. Three additional dozers were dismantled at Ziro, and inducted by air to 44-km base where they were reassembled.

These efforts facilitated earth cutting of a 10-kilometer-long road a year, which is an unprecedented achievement, the source said, adding that the achievement has justified the BRO’s motto of “Creates, Connects, and Cares”, particularly in border and hilly states like Arunachal Pradesh. (ANI)

http://www.india.com/news/agencies/...mpletes-defence-road-to-china-border-2450067/