China will get a befitting reply, BRO started Project-3 on the border

Work on the Shinkun La tunnel begins

PM Modi recently inaugurated the Shinkun La tunnel to improve connectivity from Manali to Leh. More funds have been provided for road construction and village development along the border with China. Work is still underway on some key roads under the second phase of ICBR, but most of the phases have been completed. Also, all-weather roads are helping in faster movement of security forces along the Line of Actual Control. Last week, PM Narendra Modi had carried out the first blast for the Shinkun La tunnel. This will ensure all-weather movement from Manali to Leh. The 4.1 km long tunnel is expected to increase the movement of armed forces and equipment.

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Third phase of ICBR project started

India and China share a 3,488-km-long border in Ladakh, Arunachal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim. The central government has increased the pace of road construction after the 2020 standoff with the Chinese army in Galwan in eastern Ladakh. New roads have been identified under the third phase of the ICBR. According to officials, the first two phases were planned in the early 2000s.

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5 roads will be built in Phase-3

According to official data, India has carried out 'formation cutting' of 470 km of roads per year from 2017-20. This includes new alignments and excavation work. This is more than double the 230 km being constructed per year in the decade till 2017. Under Phase I and II of ICBR, 73 roads were identified as strategic. Of them, 61 were handed over to BRO. In eastern Ladakh, five new roads have been identified under Phase 3. These are to be constructed by BRO and CPWD, said an official familiar with the matter.

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6500 crore rupees to BRO

In many cases, single or double lane roads have been upgraded to four lanes. The recent Union Budget allocated Rs 6,500 crore to the BRO for 2024-25. This is 30% more than the allocation for 2023-24. The Union Home Ministry has been allocated Rs 1,050 crore for the Vibrant Village programme for the development of border villages along the China border. In 2023, the central government had allocated Rs 4,800 crore for 2022-23 to 2025-26 under this programme, including Rs 2,500 crore specifically for road connectivity.

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Boom after Doklam standoff

Under the centrally sponsored programme, 2,967 villages in 46 blocks of 19 districts along the northern border in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh have been identified for comprehensive development. In the first phase, 662 villages have been identified for priority coverage. This includes 455 villages in Arunachal Pradesh and 35 in Ladakh. After the 2017 Doklam standoff between India and China, the slow pace of infrastructure construction along the border was flagged by a parliamentary panel.