Last mile connectivity along LAC gains momentum

Last-mile connectivity along the 3,488 km long Line of Actual Control (LAC) gains momentum so that the Indian Army can counter Chinese operations that occur at various sites very swiftly.

The 3,488 km long Line of Actual Control (LAC) is divided into three sections: Eastern (Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim), Central (Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh), and Western (Ladakh).

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is busy connecting isolated and lonely locations along the northern boundary.

Arunachal Pradesh's average elevation ranges from 10,000 feet to over 18,700 feet at Karakoram Pass.

Following the 2020 standoff in Ladakh, India and China have a combined deployment of about 1 lakh soldiers, as well as a huge presence of tanks and artillery.

Although the high altitude and rarefied environment make building difficult, roads are necessary to support such a large deployment.

The emphasis is on procuring advanced construction plants, equipment, and machinery to speed up the building as required by strategic imperatives.

The BRO's capital budget was boosted by 40% from Rs 2,500 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 3,500 crore in 2022-23.

Increased funds would be used to improve the upkeep of critical roadways as well as the development of significant highways, tunnels, and bridges along the northern and northern-eastern borders.

The Defence Ministry told Parliament in February that the BRO built 144.41 km of road in Uttarakhand and 55.17 km in Himachal last year. Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim witnessed road construction of 149.98 km and 69.46 km roads, respectively.

According to the BRO, 102 infrastructure projects were completed in 2021-22, including the world's highest motorable road in Ladakh at 19,024 ft.

BRO opened nine bridges in J&K in December, five in Ladakh and Himachal, three in Uttarakhand, and one in Sikkim and Arunachal.

It is also concentrating on early pass opening. Shingo La (16,700 ft), which connects the Zanskar and Lahaul valleys, opened 50 days sooner than in the last years.

In Sikkim, the Zadong-Donkyala-Kerang road (15,000-18,000 ft) was completed over two months ahead of schedule.

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