India has always been against war but “if it is imposed upon us, we will fight,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in Arunachal Pradesh on January 3 as he inaugurated 28 infrastructure projects built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). The projects built at a cost of ₹724 crore include 22 bridges, three roads and three miscellaneous projects spear across several States.
“The world is witnessing a number of conflicts today. India has always been against war. It is our policy... We do not believe in war, but if it is forced upon us, we will fight. We are ensuring that the nation is protected from all threats. Our armed forces are ready and it is heartening to see that the BRO is walking shoulder-to-shoulder with them,” Mr. Singh said at a ceremony organised at Siyom Bridge on Along- Yinkiong road.
Highlighted the crucial role played by the BRO in infrastructure development in border areas, Mr. Singh said, “Recently, our forces effectively countered the adversary in the Northern sector and dealt with the situation with bravery and promptness. This was made possible due to adequate infrastructural development in the region. This motivates us even more for the progress of far-flung areas.”
A view of the Siyom Bridge during its inauguration by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in Siang on January 3, 2022. Photo: Twitter/@DefenceMinIndia Via ANI
The highlight of the event was inauguration of state of the art “100 metre-long, Class 70 steel arch superstructure Siyom bridge on Along-Yinkiong road over Siyom river”, the Defence Spokesperson Tezpur said in a statement. “This signature bridge is of strategic importance to our defence forces and will facilitate speedy induction of troops, heavy equipment and mechanised vehicles to forward areas of upper Siang district, Tuting and Yinkiong region and will also boost socio-economic development of the region,” the statement said.
With the inauguration of these 28 projects, which were completed in 2022, a total of 103 infrastructure projects of the BRO were inaugurated in the year at a total cost of ₹2,897 crore, a Defence Ministry statement said.
Notably, the BRO completed the construction of these critical strategic projects in record time frame and many of these Projects have been constructed in a single working season using state-of-the-art technology, the Ministry said. Out of these, eight have been constructed in Ladakh, four in Jammu and Kashmir, five in Arunachal Pradesh, three each in Sikkim, Punjab and Uttarakhand and two in Rajasthan.
Mr. Singh also virtually inaugurated three telemedicine nodes connected with Service hospitals through VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) satellite communications system, one at Mizoram and two in Ladakh and will provide prompt medical intervention for medical and surgical emergencies through telemedicine consultation. At the event, Mr. Singh also released a ‘compendium on new technologies’ that have been adopted by the BRO.
