Notwithstanding China’s objections, the Modi Government has decided to go all hog with building the infrastructure along the lAC. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has directed infrastructure Ministries to expedite the road and rail construction along all Border States in the country.
In a meeting of officials from all infrastructure Ministries on Thursday, the PMO asked the individual departments to set deadlines to ensure speedy construction.
Nripendra Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, who chaired the meeting attended by officials from key Ministries such as Defence, rail and road, besides Border Roads Organisation (BRO), asked them to speed up infrastructure projects all along the India-China border in Jammu & Kashmir, north-eastern States and Uttarakhand.
“The only direction was to complete pending projects for both Railways and road. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has identified and charted out building plans along 29 corridors close to the International Border covering close to 3,800 km but work needs to start,” sources from the Ministry of roads.
“Even in Uttarakhand, there is a long-term plan to rebuild the entire road network, on the lines of National Highways in the higher terrains. In the north-east, road building has not moved much in past five years,” they said.
According to the sources, there is a proposal with the Ministry of roads to cover these pending road building plans under the National Highways Development Programme.
Earlier this week, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who has been entrusted with all road building in the northeastern States by his senior Nitin Gadkari, had said that India will construct 2,000 km of strategic roads along the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. His statement evoked a sharp response from China, one which was countered by Home Minister Rajnath Singh who asserted “no one can warn India”.
The proposed road is expected to be India’s answer to China’s massive road infrastructure projects across the McMahon line. “In all, 17 roads in Arunachal have been identified as strategically important, but the pace of construction has been rather slow. Efforts are now on to expedite the construction to provide the much needed logistical support to the troops,” said an official.
“At present, they have to trek for more than three days to reach their posts on the lAC from the nearest road head due to paucity of road connectivity,” he said.
Incidentally, the Central Government has earmarked 73 roads as strategically important in all the States facing China. These States include Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
“The increase in construction activity will most likely put a stop on Chinese incursions as security forces would be easily mobilised to these regions, because of easy accessibility by roads and Railways,” he said.
Tension along the border area erupted in mid-September when Chinese workers, who were building a road on their side, crossed into the Indian Territory pitching their tents in Chumar, claiming to be ordered to build a road up to Tible, 5 km deep inside Indian Territory.