Rajnath Singh virtually inaugurates Nechiphu Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh

Itanagar, Sep 12: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday virtually inaugurated 36 infrastructure projects in Arunachal Pradesh, including roads, bridges and the 500-meter-long Nechiphu Tunnel on Balipara-Charduar-Tawang Road in West Kameng district, from Samba district of Jammu & Kashmir.

These were among the 90 key infrastructure projects dedicated to the Nation by the Defence Minister. The projects spread across 11 States and Union Territories were developed by Border Roads Organization (BRO) at a cost of Rs 2,941 crore.

Of the 90 projects, 36 are in Arunachal Pradesh, 26 in Ladakh, 11 in Jammu & Kashmir, five in Mizoram, three in Himachal Pradesh, two each in Sikkim, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, and one each in Nagaland, Rajasthan and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

The strategic Nechiphu tunnel connecting the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) Road will be a significant step towards strengthening border connectivity by promoting safe all-weather travel and cutting down distance by 5 km.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, who witnessed the inauguration of the BRO projects from Sessa in West Kameng district, said that these projects will greatly enhance troop deployment, equipment movement, and strengthen our border regions.

The Nechiphu Tunnel, along with the under construction Sela Tunnel, will provide all-weather connectivity to the strategic Tawang Region. It will be beneficial to the Armed Forces deployed in the region and the tourists visiting Tawang. Rajnath Singh had laid the foundation stone of the Nechiphu tunnel on October 12, 2020.

The BRO has completed the construction of these strategically-important projects in record time; most of them in a single working season using state-of-the-art technology.

In his address, the Defence Minister described the BRO as ‘bro’ (brother) of the Armed Forces, asserting that, through its infrastructure projects, BRO is not only securing India’s borders, but also playing a key role in the socio-economic development of the far-flung areas.

He credited the timely completion of these projects to the hard work and dedication of BRO Karmayogis as well as the firm commitment of the Union Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Together with BRO, we are ensuring that the nation is secure and border areas are developed. Timely completion of infrastructure projects in far-flung areas has now become the new normal of New India,” Rajnath Singh said.