India forms Committee of Secretaries to expedite pending border infrastructure projects

On Tuesday, India announced its plan to expedite the pending infrastructure projects along the disputed 3,488 km long border with China. This initiative involves establishing a high-powered Committee of Secretaries to streamline the process and accelerate the completion of these projects.

During a high-level meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and attended by Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, R K Singh, Ashwini Vaishnav, Bhupender Yadav, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, it was decided to establish a Committee of Secretaries to expedite the pending infrastructure projects on the northern border areas.

According to a defense ministry official, the meeting assessed the progress of various construction projects in the region and agreed to establish a Committee of Secretaries to meet frequently and fast-track the pending projects.

Over the past five years, the BRO has constructed nearly 4,000 km of roads near the Indian borders. The majority of these were built in the northern sector (760 km in Ladakh, 723 km in Jammu and Kashmir, and 480 km in Uttarakhand) and the eastern sector (664 km in Arunachal Pradesh).

In recent years, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) had made significant progress in constructing roads, tunnels, and bridges close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC). However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a setback in their efforts.

Despite the pandemic, the Defence Ministry has directed the BRO to prepare 257 border roads spanning over 13,500 km across 13 states within the next five years. The majority of these projects are in the states that share a border with China, including Arunachal Pradesh (64 roads), Ladakh (43), Jammu and Kashmir (61), and Uttarakhand (22).

Source: Deccan Herald