Nechiphu tunnel among 36 BRO projects inaugurated in Arunachal Pradesh

 OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday virtually inaugurated 36 roads and bridge projects, including the strategically located Nechiphu tunnel on the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang road in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.

The Defence Minister dedicated a total of 90 key border infrastructure projects, including 36 in the north-eastern state, virtually from Devak Bridge in Jammu. The 90 critical infrastructure projects are being constructed by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) at a cost of Rs 2,941 crore along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. These projects encompass various regions and serve strategic purposes.

During the event, Singh inaugurated 22 roads, 63 bridges, the Nechiphu Tunnel, two airfields in West Bengal and two helipads, which were executed under challenging weather conditions and in inhospitable terrains, BRO sources informed.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu along with Director General of Police (DGP) Anand Mohan witnessed the event virtually from Sessa in West Kameng district.

Perched at an altitude of 5,700 feet, the Nechiphu Tunnel is a unique D-shaped single-tube double-lane tunnel that will provide all-weather connectivity to the strategic Tawang region and will be beneficial to both the Armed Forces deployed in the region and the tourists visiting pristine Tawang, officials said.

The tunnel has been conceived to bypass the extremely foggy conditions prevailing around Nechiphu Pass, which have caused hindrance to general traffic and military convoys for many decades. “An architectural masterpiece, the strategically located tunnel will facilitate the swift movement of troops as well as citizens. Cutting a short distance by about 5 km, the tunnel will provide ease of travel and connectivity in the stretch that has dense fog, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said in X, formerly Twitter.

The Border Roads Organization has recently completed eight roads in Arunachal Pradesh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at a cost of Rs 678 crore. Of the total projects dedicated to the nation by the Defence Minister, 11 are in Jammu and Kashmir, 26 in Ladakh, 36 in Arunachal Pradesh, 5 in Mizoram, 3 in Himachal Pradesh, 2 each in Sikkim, Uttarakhand and West Bengal and 1 each in Nagaland, Rajasthan, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

The eight roads executed by BRO in Arunachal Pradesh include, Jang Bypass (5.45 km), Lagamche Grazing Ground-Mukto-Teli road (44.74km), Chaksang GG-PT4594 (4 km), LGG-PT4720 (4.03km), executed by Project Vartak of the BRO, 20 km long Kaying-Tato raod executed by Project Brahmank, Brahmakund-Arrowa (19.43 km), Karoti-Tenai (14.51 km) and Nampong-Newputuk (15 km) being executed by Project Udayak respectively.

Among the major bridge projects in the state, Project Udayak constructed 12 bridges, Project Arunank three bridges, Project Vartak two and Project Brahmank constructed three bridges respectively.

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