Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched 75 new projects including the virtual launch of two helipads, one in Hanle and one in Thakung in Eastern Ladakh.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched 75 new projects including the virtual launch of two helipads, one in Hanle and one in Thakung in Eastern Ladakh. These helipads are aimed to enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force in the region. Several other key infra projects were also unveiled which include bridges, roads, and helipads projects in Jammu and Kashmir border areas.

Union minister dedicated the projects worth Rs 2,180 crore spread across six states and two Union Territories at a function held at eastern Ladakh’s strategic Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi (DS-DBO) road that provides connectivity to India’s northernmost outpost of Daulat Bege Oldi.

Key Points

1. In the event, there was an onsite unveiling of 120-meter-long ‘Class-70 Shyok Setu’ on the DS-DBO road at an altitude of 14,000 feet and a virtual inauguration of two helipads.

2. The 75 projects implemented by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) included 45 bridges, 27 roads, two helipads, and one ‘Carbon Neutral Habitat’.

3. Twenty of the projects are in Jammu and Kashmir, 18 in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, five in Uttarakhand, and 14 in other border states of Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Rajasthan.

4. The BRO’s first Carbon Neutral Habitat at a height of 19,000 feet for its personnel was also inaugurated at Hanle.

5, The Key features of this complex include the accommodation of 57 personnel and thermal comfort during extreme weather.

6. The Defence Minister also laid the foundation stone of the Himank Air Despatch Complex being constructed in Chandigarh and a BRO museum at Leh.