Itanagar, Dec 17: The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed at least 3,097 km of roads in Arunachal Pradesh and 3,140 km in the Union Territory of Ladakh in the last five years, the government informed parliament.
Minister of state of defence Ajay Bhatt has also told the Lok Sabha that the Defence Ministry had entrusted the BRO with the construction of roads in border areas, according to priority fixed by the Army based on a five-year Long-Term Rollover Works Plan (LTRoWP).
In his written reaction, he additionally shared records of the lengths of roads constructed across the country. Accordingly, a total of 257 roads spanning 13,525.417 km have been built in the last five years, in 10 states and three Union Territories.
The BRO has constructed 64 roads spanning 3,097 km in Arunachal Pradesh and 43 roads spanning 3,140 km in Ladakh in the last five years, according to the information shared.
India has been bolstering the infrastructure along the Line Of Actual Control (LAC) since the eastern Ladakh standoff in 2020.
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The Border Roads Organization functions under the Ministry of Defence.
The details of roads constructed in the other states and Union Territories include – 18 roads (663.5353 km) in Sikkim; 22 roads (947.21 km) in Uttrakhand; 61 roads (2381.963 km) in UT of Jammu & Kashmir; 13 roads (884.309 km) in Rajasthan.
“Additionally, the Government of India is implementing the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) through the state governments and Union Territory administrations in h habitations located within 0-10 km from the first habitation at the international border in 117 border districts of 16 states and two Union Territories,” Bhatt said in his response.
The main objective of the BADP is to meet the unique developmental needs and well-being of the people living in remote and inaccessible areas situated near the International Boundary (IB) and to provide the border areas with essential infrastructure through the convergence of BADP/other central/states/Union Territory/local schemes, he said.
Over the last five financial years, Rs 2,975.22 crore has been released to states and Union Territories, according to the response.
He also shared details of 75 new infrastructural projects to be built in border areas that were launched on October 28, 2022.
In response to another query on whether one of the projects to be built is a ‘Carbon Neutral Habitat’, he said, “yes”, “one of the projects is ‘Carbon Neutral Habitat’ at Hanle in UT of Ladakh, with a built-up area of 9,528 sq ft. This complex will be entirely powered by renewable solar and wind energy which will ensure round-the-clock charging of the power packs. The habitat also incorporates suitable anti-freeze measures for water pipelines powered by renewable energy”.
