#IndiaChinaStandoff: Rajnath calls upon high-level meet on border infrastructure

• Defence Minister called upon a high-level meeting to review border infrastructure

• The meeting takes place within 24 hours of China's withdrawal of troops from Galwan valley

New Delhi: (#IndiaChinaStandoff News) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a high-level meeting here in the capital on Tuesday to review the progress of various infrastructure projects under construction in border areas. The meeting was also attended by Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar and other senior officials of the Ministry. It is pertinent to note that the high-level meeting on border infrastructure taking place within 24 hours of the decision by both China and India to move back 1-1.5 km from the friction points. India has been aggressively working on border infrastructure improvement in recent years. In the meeting, the state of forward connectivity to border areas was reviewed and the consistent need of boosting the ongoing projects and to expedite the construction of strategic roads, bridges and tunnels in the border areas was discussed. The Border Roads has executed 30 per cent more works in the financial year (FY) 2019-20 as compared to FY 2018-19.

The BRO has worked incessantly even during the restrictions imposed due to COVID-19 without affecting the progress of various projects. Despite unprecedented snowfall, breaking 60-year-old record, all strategic passes and roads were cleared this year for traffic about one month before their average yearly opening dates. The Border Roads executed snow clearance works on 149 roads (of 3,965 kilometres) in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. This ensured the rapid and early movement of troops and logistics to forward areas.

While complimenting the BRO for its achievements, Rajnath Singh exhorted it to continue its work to achieve even greater laurels. The Border Roads has also inducted latest equipment and machines and has introduced modern construction methods after successful trials to expedite works on surfacing with cementations base, use of plastics, geotextiles, etc and various techniques for slope stabilisation. Trials have also been carried out successfully for indigenously produced modular bridges in collaboration with Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE) under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' initiative. This will revolutionise the bridge laying capabilities in the forward areas.

Rajnath Singh lauded the efforts of BRO as well as Defence PSU GRSE for their contribution to national security.

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