BORDER ROAD ORGANISATION

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Context

BRO connects 298-km long Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road to Ladakh region

Details

Border Roads Organisation

• Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was formed on 7 May 1960 to secure India’s borders and develop infrastructure in remote areas of the north and north-east states of the country.
• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India.
• BRO develops and maintains road networks in India’s border areas and friendly neighboring

Staffs

• It is staffed by officers and troops drawn from the Indian Army’s Corps of Engineers, Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Military Police and army personnel on extra regimental employment.
• Engineering Service and personnel from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) form the parent cadre of the Border Roads Organisation.
• The headquarters of BRO is in New Delhi and the current Director General is Lt. Gen. Rajeev Chaudhary.

Operations

• Currently, the organization maintains operations in twenty-one states, one UT (Andaman and Nicobar Islands), and neighboring countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka.

Projects

• The BRO operates in 18 projects namely: Arunank, Beacon, Brahmank, Chetak, Deepak, Dantak (Bhutan), Himank, Hirak, Pushpak, Sampark, Yojak, Sewak, Shivalik, Swastik, Udayak, Vartak and Vijayak. Beacon is the oldest BRO project (along with Vartak).

Role of the BRO

During Peace

• To develop and maintain the operational road infrastructure of General Staff (GS) roads in the border areas.
• To contribute to the socio-economic development of the border states.

During War

• To develop and maintain roads to keep line of control through in original sectors and re-deployed sectors.
• To execute additional tasks as laid down by the government contributing to the war effort.

Other significance

• BRO is entrusted for construction of roads, bridges, tunnels, causeways, helipads and airfields.
• The BRO is also in charge of maintenance of its road networks. In many places landslides, avalanches and snow block the routes and have to be cleared as quickly as possible.
• BRO also employs more than 200,000 casual paid labours in the task.

About the News

• Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road is now the third axis apart from Manali-Leh and Srinagar-Leh which connects Ladakh to the hinterland.
• The Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road derives its strategic importance from the fact that it is not only shorter vis-a-vis the other two axes, but crosses only one pass ie Shinkun La (16,558 feet) on which tunnel work is about to commence by the BRO.
• This will result in the road having all weather connectivity to the Ladakh region.
• The all weather connectivity to strategically important Ladakh region will give a quantum boost to the defence preparedness along the Northern Borders.
• It will also give a tremendous boost to economic development in the Zanskar valley.