By Our Staff Reporter
Joshimath, 19 Jan: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh dedicated to the nation 35 infrastructure projects of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), built at a cost of Rs 670 crore, during an event organised at Joshimath-Malari Road, here, today.
In his address delivered on the occasion, Singh commended the BRO for strengthening the border infrastructure of the country and asserted that, by constructing roads, bridges etc., the organisation is connecting the far-flung areas with the rest of the nation geographically, while also linking the hearts of the people residing in remote villages with the rest of the population.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and BJP State President Mahendra Bhatt were also present on the occasion.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had in fact shared a post welcoming Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Uttarakhand on his X (Twitter) handle and declared that he would also be participating in the event in Joshimath.
In his speech, Rajnath Singh highlighted the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government’s approach towards border area development. He said that Modi Government’s approach in this regard completely differs from the previous governments. While other governments did not focus on development of border areas as they considered these zones as the last parts of the country, the present government considers border areas as the first aspect of India and is ensuring that world-class infrastructure is created in these zones.
The Defence Minister stressed that connectivity is being provided to every border area in the country through roads, bridges and tunnels, describing the work as not only of strategic importance, but also pivotal to the welfare of the people residing in these regions. He stressed that people living near the borders are no less than soldiers. If a soldier protects the country by wearing a uniform, the residents of border areas are serving the motherland in their own way.
Rajnath Singh pointed out that the Government has changed the approach adopted by previous governments that the border areas are buffer zones between the plains and the potential adversary. He emphasised that the present government considers border areas a part of the mainstream and not a buffer zone. There was a time when border infrastructure development was not given much importance. Governments used to work with the mentality that the people living in the plains are the mainstream. They were worried that the development on the border might be used by the adversary. Due to this narrow mentality, development never reached the border areas. This thinking has changed today under the leadership of PM Modi.
Singh added that the Government’s approach shows the confidence of ‘New India’, which will not wait for potential adversaries to reach the plains to deal with them. The government is developing infrastructure on the mountains and deploying the troops on hill borders in such a way that it is ensuring the safety of the people there, and helping the military to effectively deal with the adversaries.
Referring to the large migration from border areas in Uttarakhand, Rajnath Singh termed it as a matter of concern. He said the Prime Minister Modi and the Chief Minister Dhami are taking the schemes related to infrastructure development to the last person as the aim is to cover the development journey from the seas to the borders.
The Defence Minister also drew attention to the increasing number of natural disasters in some border States/UTs, including Uttarakhand, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim in recent years, stating that many experts believe that climate change is the reason behind these incidents. He called climate change not just a weather-related phenomenon, but a very serious issue related to national security. The Ministry of Defence is taking this very seriously and will seek cooperation from friendly countries in this regard, he added.
Rajnath Singh made special mention of the BRO’s contribution to the recent Silkyra Tunnel operation launched to rescue trapped labourers. Commending the BRO personnel, especially women workers, for their tireless hard work during the operation, he congratulated the entire team of General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) for carrying out its duties in the time of crisis. He termed the operation, which witnessed coordinated efforts of National Disaster Response Force, BRO, Indian Air Force and state agencies, as a great example of teamwork.
The Defence Minister described the personnel engaged with the BRO – Armed Forces personnel, Permanent Civilian employees and Casual Paid Labourers (CPLs) as a unique workforce, which strives together to strengthen the border framework. He highlighted the change in the mindset brought out by the Government with respect to the CPLs.
Out of the 35 projects inaugurated by Rajnath Singh, 29 are bridges and six are roads. Eleven of them are in Jammu & Kashmir; nine in Ladakh; eight in Arunachal Pradesh; three in Uttarakhand; two in Sikkim; and one each in Mizoram & Himachal Pradesh. These projects have been constructed under challenging weather conditions in the most inhospitable terrain. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was also present during the event.
The event was organised on the Dhak Bridge, a state-of-the-art 93-metre long Class 70R bridge over Dhak Nallah, which was inaugurated by the Defence Minister at the site. The Dhak Bridge assumes strategic importance as it will provide increased connectivity to the borders and enhance operational preparedness of the Armed Forces. It will also boost the socio-economic development of the region as it is the only road connecting villages from Joshimath to Niti Pass. This will not only promote tourism, but also generate more employment opportunities.
The remaining 34 projects, which were e-inaugurated by Rajnath Singh, include the Ragini-Ustad-Pharkian Gali Road in J&K. It is a 38.25-km long CL-9 road, which will provide all weather connectivity between Tangdhar and Keren sector, bolstering the operational readiness of the military.
Others present were Karnaprayag MLA Anil Nautiyal, Tharali MLA Bhupal Ram Tamta, District President Ramesh Maikhuri, BKTC Vice President Kishore Panwar, District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana, Superintendent of Police Rekha Yadav, Lt General Raghu Raghu Srinivasan, etc.
