BJP councillor from Tangtse constituency in eastern Ladakh, Tashi Namgyal, said that the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has engaged a large number of porters and labourers from several border villages for construction of roads in Durbok, Shayok and Daulat Beg Oldie areas along the LAC.India and China share a 3,488-km-long border running along Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh

NEW DELHI | LEH: India is all set to ramp up its infrastructure along the international border with China and complete work on as many as 42 strategic Indo-China Border Roads (ICBRs) before 2022, officials have said. The Centre had identified 73 “strategic roads” along the China border, 28 of which were made operational, 33 are still under construction while the work on remaining are in the initial stages, they added.

Confirming this, BJP councillor from Tangtse constituency in eastern Ladakh, Tashi Namgyal, said that the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has engaged a large number of porters and labourers from several border villages for construction of roads in Durbok, Shayok and Daulat Beg Oldie areas along the LAC.

According to official sources, while most road projects were pending in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarkhand, construction has begun in full swing in Ladakh. “Some of these projects were to be completed by 2018 but were delayed mainly due to strategic security consideration, environment clearances, limited working season, difficulties in availability of construction materials, delay in land acquisition and natural calamities,” said a senior government official.

To overcome these hurdles, the government is in the process of further relaxing norms for projects concerning national defence, strategic considerations and security purposes, the official added. India and China share a 3,488-km-long border running along Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh.

“Of these 73 roads, 61 roads of 3,410 km length were entrusted to BRO while the remaining was to be completed by CPWD and ITBP. The development of these roads would enhance accessibility to border areas where the border infrastructure and forward connectivity are lacking,” a second official explained. Besides roads, the strategic infrastructure includes mobile towers, strategic railway lines and border outposts (BOPs).

The union home ministry, in its recent review of the border infrastructure with BRO, Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) highlighted the gap in critical infrastructure and suggested measures to overcome the same. While China has always been upgrading its border infrastructure, it has objected to almost all construction initiated by India along the border.

The BJP councillor added that the Chinese incursions and build-up in Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso and now in DBO have forced the BRO to take rapid measures to construct or realign crucial roads leading to these strategic areas along the LAC and store essentials and weaponry.

“From every family, the BRO has hired at least two porters including women, for these emergency development projects. This should have happened much earlier,” said Namgyal, who had visited Durbok area early this week. The BRO has engaged around 300 locals, including women, in road construction from Durbok to Shayok in the past two weeks. The road, which passes through a mountain, is now being realigned to a lesser height.

“These roads were so narrow that, earlier this month, some of the vehicles carrying artillery got stuck and damaged the banking of these roads completely. They are now being realigned,” said Namgyal. Here the porters are being paid Rs 17,500 per month without meals.

Around 150 locals from Tangste, all men, have been taken to the DBO sector where they are engaged in road construction. They are paid around Rs 20,000 per month, including meals. “The army has also completed documentation of around 300 locals for porter service and they might be engaged soon,” said Namgyal.

“The clash on the border has brought renewed focus on our area, which lacks even basic electricity facilities and now communication is shut for several weeks now,” complained Namgyal. The GREF has also started work aggressively on the tunnel project near Changla Pass, which has been approved last year. The 8 km tunnel starting from Zigril village would bypass the Changla Pass and Banana Road and open at Tharuk village making the travel towards Pangong Tso easier.

“The government is transporting cement and iron in huge quantities towards the border. It seems like an emergency in the area as far as construction is concerned,” said Namgyal.