Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Inaugurates 125 BRO Projects to Strengthen India’s Northeast Border Infrastructure

In a major boost to India's defensive posture along the China-facing frontier, a batch of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) projects in the Northeast inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday, are being seen as a response to China's infrastructure build-up in Tibet.

Among the 125 projects inaugurated, a significant number of the projects were completed in the North-Eastern States.

In Arunachal Pradesh, Sela-Chabrela-BJG Road and Shungester-Sulula Road, alongwith bridges like Lumla I and II Bridges and Shungetsar I and II Bridges were inaugurated.

Owing to its proximity to China's Tibet Autonomous Region and bearing in mind the critical position the northeast occupies in India's frontier defence stance, Tawang sector remains one of the most strategically sensitive areas along the eastern border.

The new connectivity is expected not only to significantly strengthen India's ability to sustain long-term troop deployments and respond swiftly to any emerging security contingency, but also provide vital alternate connectivity to the sector, by reducing dependence on a single axis for movement and supply.

In Sikkim, the Kalep–Gaigong Road and bridges such as Rabam Chu and Sanklang strengthened post-disaster connectivity and ensured uninterrupted access to forward posts. Round-the-year access to forward military posts. Quick reinforcement capability in case of a Doklam-like standoff.

In Mizoram, which faces a Myanmar convulsed in civil war, infrastructure is being developed along the Lawngtlai–Diltlang–Parva axis, including the Tuichanglui and Gausan Bridges, which enhances connectivity to remote border villages and strengthened logistics both along the India-Myanmar and India-Bangladesh borders.

Notably, Director General, Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Lt. Gen. Raghu Srinivasan had earlier stated that India is on its way to boost infrastructure along the LAC, adding that the country would reach a position it aspires to be in over the next four to five years.

Commenting on China's infrastructure development along the border, the DG said that construction on the Chinese side in the Tibet Autonomous Region was relatively easier due as Itbet was mostly a platue, while the Indian border to the north was mountainous.

"It is a flat tableland. They don't have the ascent and the deep valley gorges which are normal in the Himalayan region. The Chinese area is in the rain shadow. While our border lies on the Himalayan watershed, which by definition means that no moisture gets across it. As a result, the amount of rainfall in Tibet is negligible as it is virtually a desert. Building infrastructure there is therefore comparatively easier," he said.

Lt Gen Srinivasan, however, asserted that despite these natural challenges, India was deploying the best available technology to match China's border infrastructure.

"We have ensured that the finest technology available across the country, whether at Nagpur, Delhi, Chennai, or elsewhere in the hinterland, reaches the border areas. Whether it is rock-cutting, excavation, or road surfacing, we are continuously improving our capabilities," the BRO chief said.