India to go ahead with infrastructure development at border with China

Even as Indian and Chinese troops pull back from the site of a deadly faceoff in Galwan Valley in Ladakh, India is understood to have decided to expedite the construction of strategic roads, bridges and tunnels in forward areas along the border with China.

The need for infrastructure development work in the border areas was discussed at a high-level meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday. The meeting was presided by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and attended by Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and other senior officials of the ministry.

"The state of forward connectivity to border areas was reviewed and the consistent need of boosting the ongoing projects and to expedite the construction of strategic roads, bridges and tunnels in the border areas was discussed," an official statement said.

The Border Road Organisation (BRO) has executed snow clearance works on 149 roads (of 3,965 kilometres) in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, all of which share border with China among other countries.

"This ensured rapid and early movement of troops and logistics to forward areas," the defence ministry statement said.

"The BRO has worked incessantly even during the restrictions imposed due to Covid-19 without allowing the progress of various projects to be affected. Despite unprecedented snowfall breaking a 60-year-old record, all strategic passes and roads were cleared this year for traffic about one month ahead of their average yearly opening dates," according to the statement.