Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be in Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday, his first visit to the state since the December 9 physical clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in the Tawang sector. The minister will inaugurate multiple infrastructure projects completed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
One of the strategic projects to be inaugurated by the Defence Minister is the Siyom Bridge, a 100-metre 'Class-70' steel arch superstructure constructed on the Along-Yinkiong Road. The bridge is militarily significant since it will enable faster movement of troops, heavy machinery and weapons like howitzers and mechanised vehicles, to forward areas of the Upper Siang district, Tuting and Yinkiong regions along the Line Of Actual Control with China.
The minister will also inaugurate virtually 27 other projects of the BRO. He will also release the BRO Vision and New Tech Handbook. The Defence Minister will also meet and interact with the local people in the state, reported IANS.
The infrastructure boost in the region comes as the border dispute between India and China worsened over the last few years, the recent being the Tawang clashes which saw multiple soldiers suffering injuries.
In 2022, the state also witnessed massive infrastructure development, ranging from road construction to a greenfield airport. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has also undertaken work on the Arunachal Frontier Highway, one of the country's "biggest and toughest" projects.
The frontier highway is said to be a "strategic project and was objected to by China in the past. The 2,000-km-long road will begin from Mago, near Bhutan, and pass through Tawang, Upper Subansiri, Tuting, Mechuka, Upper Siang, Debang Valley, Desali, Chaglagam, Kibithu, Dong, before ending at Vijayanagar near the Myanmar border. The project will cost at least Rs 40,000 crore.
The work on the Sela tunnel, located at a height of 13,700 feet, being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), is expected to be completed by July 2023. The movement through the present Sela Pass road is affected badly due to heavy snowfalls during the winter.
Once built, the Sela tunnel will be the longest bi-lane tunnel in the world.
