Tag: Border Roads Organisation

  • ‘BRO’ connects Arunachal’s Strategic Maza area along LAC

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Amidst the prevailing tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has connected another important area after Yangtse. The BRO personnel and Machinery worked round the clock through heavy rains, tough terrain and dangerous working conditions to achieve this feat on Wednesday.

    “BRO’s Project Arunank achieved connectivity to Maza, a strategic location along Northern Borders, on Road TCC-Maza in Arunachal Pradesh. BRO is immensely proud to serve the Nation,” informed BRO.Maza is located in Upper Subansiri district where the armies of India and China had fought a major battle in 1962. The terrain is rugged and mountaineous with peaks ranging from 7,000 ft to 18,000 ft. The work was carried out under site officer Captain Satyam of the 128 Road Construction Company (RCC) of the BRO. Lt Col Abhimanyu Qadiyan is the Officer Commanding (OC) of the RCC.

    NEW DELHI: Amidst the prevailing tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has connected another important area after Yangtse. The BRO personnel and Machinery worked round the clock through heavy rains, tough terrain and dangerous working conditions to achieve this feat on Wednesday.

    “BRO’s Project Arunank achieved connectivity to Maza, a strategic location along Northern Borders, on Road TCC-Maza in Arunachal Pradesh. BRO is immensely proud to serve the Nation,” informed BRO.
    Maza is located in Upper Subansiri district where the armies of India and China had fought a major battle in 1962. The terrain is rugged and mountaineous with peaks ranging from 7,000 ft to 18,000 ft. The work was carried out under site officer Captain Satyam of the 128 Road Construction Company (RCC) of the BRO. Lt Col Abhimanyu Qadiyan is the Officer Commanding (OC) of the RCC.

  • Ladakh airfield to get upgrade for fighter aircraft ops amid reports of China’s infra works

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Amid reports of China building new military infrastructure on its side, India is soon going to begin the construction work for upgrading its Nyoma advanced landing ground for fighter aircraft operations less than 50 kilometres from the LAC in eastern Ladakh, said Indian Army officials on Thursday.

    The Nyoma airfield has been used for the transportation of men and materiel during the ongoing stand-off with China and has seen operations of Chinook heavy-lift choppers and C-130J Special Operations aircraft.

    “The ALG is going to be soon upgraded for fighter aircraft operations as most of the required clearances and approvals have come already. As per plans, the construction of the new airfield and the military infrastructure would be done by the Border Roads Organisation,” senior defence officials told ANI.

    The capability of operating fighter aircraft from this area would strengthen the Air Force’s ability to tackle any misadventures by the adversary in a faster way.

    The inauguration of the construction work is expected to begin soon in the eastern Ladakh sector after the clearances by the Modi government in the area, they said.

    READ HERE | Situation has not returned to normal: MEA on eastern Ladakh border row

    India has been considering multiple options for developing airfields in eastern Ladakh including Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO), Fukche and Nyoma which are at a distance of a few minutes from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

    The Nyoma Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) has seen operations of the Apache attack helicopters, Chinook heavy-lift helicopters and the Garud special forces operations from Mi-17 helicopters.

    Recently, IAF Group Captain Ajay Rathi explained the importance of having an advanced landing ground such as Nyoma.

    “Nyoma ALG has strategic importance due to its close proximity to the Line of Actual Control. It bridges the critical gap between Leh airfield and the LAC enabling quick movement of men and material in eastern Ladakh, overcoming terrain friction,” Rathi had said.

    The Nyoma airbase Chief Operations Officer said the ALG will “further help in quicker access to the heights and sustenance operations thereafter. The air operations infrastructure at Nyoma enhances the operations capability of forces.”

    ALSO READ | India had ‘very difficult’ two-and-a-half-years in its ties with China: Jaishankar

    The Air Force also has deployed the Igla man-portable air defence missiles to tackle any aerial incursion by any adversary aircraft.

    The Indian Air Force has been regularly deploying fighter aircraft including the Rafale and MiG-29s to carry out operations in eastern Ladakh where there has been disengagement of troops at multiple locations

    The Chinese have been amassing troops since 2020 and carried out aggression in the garb of an exercise after which the Indian security forces retaliated in equal measure and checked the Chinese aggression there.

    The Indian Air Force is also continuing to maintain its assets in Leh along with a massive upgrade of capabilities in the area.

    NEW DELHI: Amid reports of China building new military infrastructure on its side, India is soon going to begin the construction work for upgrading its Nyoma advanced landing ground for fighter aircraft operations less than 50 kilometres from the LAC in eastern Ladakh, said Indian Army officials on Thursday.

    The Nyoma airfield has been used for the transportation of men and materiel during the ongoing stand-off with China and has seen operations of Chinook heavy-lift choppers and C-130J Special Operations aircraft.

    “The ALG is going to be soon upgraded for fighter aircraft operations as most of the required clearances and approvals have come already. As per plans, the construction of the new airfield and the military infrastructure would be done by the Border Roads Organisation,” senior defence officials told ANI.

    The capability of operating fighter aircraft from this area would strengthen the Air Force’s ability to tackle any misadventures by the adversary in a faster way.

    The inauguration of the construction work is expected to begin soon in the eastern Ladakh sector after the clearances by the Modi government in the area, they said.

    READ HERE | Situation has not returned to normal: MEA on eastern Ladakh border row

    India has been considering multiple options for developing airfields in eastern Ladakh including Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO), Fukche and Nyoma which are at a distance of a few minutes from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

    The Nyoma Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) has seen operations of the Apache attack helicopters, Chinook heavy-lift helicopters and the Garud special forces operations from Mi-17 helicopters.

    Recently, IAF Group Captain Ajay Rathi explained the importance of having an advanced landing ground such as Nyoma.

    “Nyoma ALG has strategic importance due to its close proximity to the Line of Actual Control. It bridges the critical gap between Leh airfield and the LAC enabling quick movement of men and material in eastern Ladakh, overcoming terrain friction,” Rathi had said.

    The Nyoma airbase Chief Operations Officer said the ALG will “further help in quicker access to the heights and sustenance operations thereafter. The air operations infrastructure at Nyoma enhances the operations capability of forces.”

    ALSO READ | India had ‘very difficult’ two-and-a-half-years in its ties with China: Jaishankar

    The Air Force also has deployed the Igla man-portable air defence missiles to tackle any aerial incursion by any adversary aircraft.

    The Indian Air Force has been regularly deploying fighter aircraft including the Rafale and MiG-29s to carry out operations in eastern Ladakh where there has been disengagement of troops at multiple locations

    The Chinese have been amassing troops since 2020 and carried out aggression in the garb of an exercise after which the Indian security forces retaliated in equal measure and checked the Chinese aggression there.

    The Indian Air Force is also continuing to maintain its assets in Leh along with a massive upgrade of capabilities in the area.

  • Defence Ministry approves setting up of ‘BRO Cafes’ at 75 border locations across 12 states/UTs

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has approved setting up of wayside amenities at 75 locations in 12 States/Union Territories on different sections of roads with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

    The MoD in a statement said, “These are intended to provide basic amenities and comfort to the tourists and lead to boosting of economic activities in border areas, besides generating employment for the local people. These wayside amenities will be branded as ‘BRO Cafes’.”

    Since the inaccessibility and remoteness of these roads preclude widespread commercial deployments, the BRO, by virtue of its presence, took it upon itself to open such facilities at remote places, the MoD added.

    The scheme provides for development and operation of wayside amenities in public private partnership mode with agencies, on license basis, which will design, build & operate the facility as per guidelines of BRO. Amenities like parking for two and four wheelers, food plaza/ restaurant, separate restrooms for men, women and differently abled, first aid facilities/MI Rooms etc. are proposed to be provided. Selection of licencees will be done through a competitive process.

    The terms of the agreement will be for 15 years which may be further extended for a period up to five years.

    Under the initiative there will be 19 BRO Cafes in Arunachal Pradesh, two in Assam, seven in Himachal Pradesh, 12 in Jammu and Kashmir, 14 in Ladakh, five in Rajasthan, 11 in Uttarakhand. West Bengal, Sikkim, Punjab, Nagaland, Manipur are the other states where the wayside amenities will get established.

    The BRO has its reach in the remotest border areas and besides addressing strategic needs, it has been instrumental in socio-economic upliftment of the Northern and Eastern borders. This has resulted in increased tourist influx in these scenic locations, hitherto inaccessible.

  • Ladakh administration signs ‘historic’ MoU with BRO for upgradation of road network

    By PTI

    LEH: The Ladakh administration and the Border Roads Organisation signed an MoU for upgradation and improvement of road network in the Union territory, officials said on Saturday.

    Calling the MoU a historic move, they said the Union territory (UT) administration also assigned seven projects to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) considering their expertise in hilly areas to construct tunnels and roads.

    This initiative will ensure the overall development of Ladakh in the long run.

    It will further enrich the relationship and coordination between BRO and UT Ladakh, an official spokesman said.

    He said the memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Chief Engineer, Project HIMANK, Brig Arvinder Singh, Chief Engineer Project VIJAYAK Brig Ashish Gambhir; and Chief Engineer, Public Works (Roads and Buildings) Ladakh P C Tanoch at the UT secretariat here on Friday in the presence of Principal Secretary Pawan Kotwal and Director General BRO Lt General Rajeev Chaudhary.

    Commissioner Secretary, PW(R&B), Ajeet Kumar Sahu, who was also present, said the BRO has agreed to upgrade the roads on fast track mode for which funding would be provided by the UT administration.

    With the completion of road construction projects, the overall economy of the region would get a boost, especially in the tourism industry, the spokesman said, adding that it would also ensure safety of local people as well as tourists besides reducing distance and increasing tourist influx.

  • BRO to probe into Kimin controversy, says Arunachal home minister

    By PTI
    ITANAGAR: The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) will initiate an inquiry into the Kimin controversy and transfer officials from its office there to ensure a fair investigation, Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister Bamang Felix said here on Monday.

    Kimin, an area in Papumpare district of the state, was passed off as Bilgarh in Assam and signboards were partially whitewashed to eliminate the mention of Arunachal Pradesh on them during a BRO programme attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh there last month.

    Several organisations of Arunachal Pradesh have protested against the incident.

    Addressing a press conference at Civil Secretariat here, Felix said that he held a meeting with BRO Director General Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhary during the day on the matter and the officer expressed regret over the issue.

    “The BRO will initiate an inquiry into the fiasco and it will be completed at the earliest. Based on the findings of the inquiry, appropriate action will be taken,” the home minister said.

    In order to ensure a fair probe, BRO officers posted at Kimin would be transferred to other locations and three of them have already been shifted, he said.

    During the meeting, state Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar briefed the BRO DG on the findings of a High-Level Committee headed by the Home Minister and a Fact-Finding Committee of Arunachal Indigenous Tribe Forum on the issue, sources said.

    Both the panels in their findings held the BRO officials responsible for the fiasco.

    The incident occurred on June 17 when the defence minister inaugurated 12 strategic roads developed by the BRO and 10 of them are in Arunachal Pradesh.

    Among others, the programme at Kimin was attended by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union minister Kiren Rijiju, who represents the Arunachal West parliamentary constituency.

    Four opposition parties of Arunachal Pradesh, including the Congress, had written to President Ram Nath Kovind last week seeking his intervention in resolving the boundary dispute between the state and Assam after the controversy.

    BRO Additional Director General (East) P K H Singh on June 26 apologised to the people of Arunachal Pradesh and said that the error was unintentional.

  • Rajnath’s visit reignites Assam-Arunachal boundary row

    By Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh may have made a spirited statement on “peace” and “aggression” on June 17 but he also ended up reigniting an inter-state border row.

    After e-dedicating 12 border roads built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to the nation that day, Singh had tweeted about attending the programme in the “North East” and shared a statement of his ministry that suggested the event was held in Lakhimpur district of Assam.

    Now, various organisations in Arunachal are hitting the streets, baying for the BRO’s blood for “misleading” the Defence Ministry. They as well as Lok Sabha member from the state Tapir Gao said the venue of the Defence Minister’s event was Kimin in Arunachal, and it is well within the frontier state.

    “The BRO has created a misunderstanding between Assam and Arunachal by misguiding the Defence Minister. Kimin is in Arunachal, not Assam,” Gao told this newspaper on Sunday. 

    He said ahead of Singh’s event, the words “Arunachal” and “Kimin”, written on landmarks and structures in Kimin, were covered with “white paste”.

    “By doing this, they tried to erase Arunachalhood. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was with the Defence Minister that day. He also knows Kimin is in Arunachal. The BRO officer concerned should be booked. The Arunachal government should file an FIR against the official,” Gao demanded.

    He said the officer, who had issued directions to conceal the words Arunachal and Kimin should also be booked and suspended.

    “The BRO should apologise to the people of Assam and Arunachal. The two states are already locked in border disputes at many places,” the BJP MP said.

    Sources said possibly, the venue of the Defence Minister’s programme was deliberately mentioned as in Assam for “strategic” reasons. But Gao said: “I know Rajnath Singh Ji. He is one who will not be bothered by what China says.” Beijing had opposed Singh’s visit to Arunachal in 2019.

    The All Kimin Youth Welfare Association had staged a protest against the BRO in Kimin on Saturday. It described the incident as an insult to Arunachal as well as Kimin.

    Similarly, the All Nyishi Youth Association demanded that the state government conduct a probe and find out why the BRO had insulted Arunachal and its people. 

    Addressing a crowd at the event that day, the Defence Minister had said: “As far as India is concerned, there is no second opinion. We are a worshipper of peace and we never resorted to aggression against any country, whether a neighbour or otherwise. But if someone resorts to aggression against us, we know how to give a befitting reply.”

  • Labourers working in defence projects ‘exploited’, CM Hemant Soren to take up issue with Rajnath

    By PTI
    RANCHI: Claiming that migrant labourers of Jharkhand working in high-altitude defence projects are exploited by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Chief Minister Hemant Soren said that he will take up the matter with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, as the situation has not changed despite repeated communications.

    The chief minister demanded ‘martyr’ status for the labourers who die laying infrastructure for the armed forces in inhospitable terrains, and claimed that labourers return to the state with bitter memories and do not want to work again for the BRO because of the undignified treatment they get.

    In an interview to PTI, Soren said that once the state gets over the COVID-19 crisis, he will personally hold meetings with chief ministers and administrators of various states and Union territories such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh and pitch for a robust mechanism to check workers’ exploitation.

    The BRO, however, denied the accusations of the chief minister and claimed that there are a number of labourers who are working for the organisation for a decade.

    “In April, I personally received bodies of 18 of our workers killed in an avalanche in Sumna, near the Indo-China border in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district. All the victims were employed by the BRO but their families did not receive proper compensation. The state government brought the bodies with its own resources. This hurts me and pains me,” Soren said.

    The chief minister said that a few days ago, he heard Rajnath Singh praising the BRO for constructing roads in tough terrains, but “it ripped my heart” when he did not utter a word for those who actually lay such infrastructure there.

    The Jharkhand government has written a number of letters to the BRO accusing it of “gross violation” of Inter- State Migrant Workmen Act, framed to protect workers whose services are requisitioned outside their home states, by involving middlemen and touts to hire workers.

    Soren said that there are umpteen instances where he received migrant workers’ bodies on the state’s expenses with proper compensation to the kith and kin still pending.

    “I am aghast at these. I will take up the matter with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh,” the chief minister said.

    “Are soldiers facing enemy bullets the only ones who should get the martyr status and not our brave migrant workers? Not a word for them ever. They get exploited by the BRO in high altitude, uncongenial climatic and extremely harsh conditions. This is a gross injustice,” he said.

    However, the ministries of defence and home have submitted before the Central Information Commission in December 2017 that there is no term as “martyr” or “shaheed” in the Army or the police and instead, a soldier or a policeman killed in action is called a “battle casualty” or “operations casualty” respectively.

    Soren said, “the workers are taken through middlemen and subjected to undignified treatment without proper compensation. This is the reason once a migrant worker comes back alive, he never wants to go back.”

    The JMM-headed state government has written to the BRO on the issues.

    Jharkhand workers were killed in a flash flood in Uttarakhand, in cloud burst in Jammu and Kashmir and in cold conditions in Ladakh, he said adding: “Despite flagging such instances, policies to protect the migrant labourers are not being implemented.”

    Soren said that despite all these, keeping the national interest in mind, he had flagged off a special train with 1,648 migrant labourers to work in BRO projects in Leh- Ladakh and other regions along the India-China border on assurance that 2021 onwards, all steps would be undertaken to protect their interests.

    “Hundreds of migrant workers are made to live in pathetic conditions in the hilly and difficult terrains, devoid of proper amenities and wages.

    They are reluctant to take up similar jobs on their return to the state.

    “Jharkhand, on its part, is augmenting the labour management system by ensuring registration for all workers, and efforts are being made for their gainful employment,” he said.

    A senior BRO official said that wages of migrant labourers are fixed liberally and the money is credited to their accounts directly.

    “We deal with a large number of migrant workers and take care of their wellbeing in tough terrains. At places, we even run schools for their children. It is wrong to say that the BRO exploits workers. Rather, we have examples where workers continue with us for over a decade. If they fall sick, we provide with them the best medical facilities on par with our jawans,” the official said.

    The mission of the BRO, which functions under the Ministry of Defence, is to support the armed forces meet their strategic needs by committed, dedicated and cost-effective development and sustenance of the infrastructure, according to the website of the organisation.

    Associate Professor of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Dr Anu Sabhlok who has done research on workers in tough terrains, said, ” The workers live in pretty harsh conditions in high altitude using glacial cold waters. If the BRO is hiring, it needs to take care of all these. It could easily be done if a mechanism is worked out.”

    Soren said he is the first chief minister in the country to airlift 60 migrant workers stuck in Ladakh in May last year.

    Meanwhile, the state government is yet to formalise a proper labour registration mechanism, a state government official said adding it is in the process.

    After the Covid-19 pandemic struck last year, around 8.50 lakh migrant workers, out of the 10.45 lakh who got themselves registered while being stranded in different parts of the country, had returned to the state between March 2020 and August 2020.

    The Supreme Court had on May 24 said that the process of registration of migrant workers is “very slow” and it must be expedited so that benefits of various schemes can be extended to them amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • BRO appoints First Women Executive Engineer to command Road Construction Company

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Taking a step in the direction of women empowerment, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) appointed its first women officer to command a Road Construction Company (RCC) on Wednesday.

    Announcing the appointment, the Army in a statement said, “Feels proud to announce the First woman Officer Executive Engineer (Civil) Vaishali S Hiwase for taking over as Officer Commanding of a Road Construction Company that is responsible to provide connectivity of an Indo China Border Road.”

    Vaishali who is from Wardha, Maharashtra is an M. Tech and was posted in a demanding tenure at Kargil, Ladakh prior to her taking over the command to undertake this challenge of cutting through the rocks.

    “With two air-maintained detachments located at 10,000 ft and above the alignment of the road is going through some formidable passes and treacherous terrain of hard rock with vertical cliffs,” added Army.

    This step is seen to usher a new era of women empowerment that will see women officers taking over the most arduous tasks, said the Army.

    BRO was raised in 1960 and it has an authorized force level of 41,600 which includes 2,426 officers and 39,174 subordinates and is involved in creating and maintaining strategic road and associated infrastructure.

    Border Roads Organisation is concentrating simultaneously on the Northern and North-Eastern Borders and for the holistic development of roads in border areas, a five year (2018-23) Long Term Roll on Works Plan (LTRoWP) has been approved for the construction/improvement for 272 roads of length 14,269.31 km, 4 Ditch cum Bund (DCB) of length 353.22 km and 4 bridges.

  • BRO bridge brings relief to isolated village on borders of Punjab, Jammu

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Working amid a raging pandemic, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has established a vital all-weather bridge connecting an isolated village on the borders of Punjab and Jammu. The bridge has been a 70-year-old demand of the residents of the Sakol village. “BRO provided yet another vital link between Punjab state  and Jammu Union Territory by constructing a 160 feet long double deck  bailey bridge over Tarnah River on  Chadwal-Sanjimore-Hariyachak-Paharpur-Simbal stretch,” the Army in Press Release on Friday said.

    As per the Army, earlier the entire region across the River used to get cut-off amid flooding. People had to either use a ferry or pontoon bridge established by BRO.  Every year, a pontoon bridge was required to be launched for crossing the river and de-launched after receding of water level post monsoon. Now this bridge will provide all -weather connectivity between both the regions.

    Army sources said, the bridge will provide the much-needed lifeline to the people of Sakol village, who had to  go through a lot of hardship in crossing the dreaded river during the monsoon.  “It was indeed a historic and watershed moment for the villagers and for this region.  Their 70-year-old demand for the construction of a bridge has finally been fulfilled,” the Army said. BRO personnel worked relentlessly round the clock and finished the construction in five days, the Army said. It was a very challenging task, officials said.  

  • Avalanche in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district

    By PTI
    GOPESHWAR: An avalanche occurred in an area close to the Niti valley in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Friday.

    Information was received about a part of a glacier collapsing beyond the Sumna Chawki near Malari in the Niti valley, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officials, who were on their way to the spot, said.

    No contact has so far been established with the area due to heavy snowfall, they added.

    A BRO official confirmed the sliding down of a glacier in the area, where labourers are engaged in road-construction work.

    A BRO team was rushed to the spot but there is no clue yet on the damages caused, the official said.