The unsung heroes of Atal Tunnel and more

THE construction of the strategic Atal Tunnel, which was thrown open last month, is a story of grit, commitment and dedication of 3,000 workers, 770 engineers, supervisors, consultants and contractors who worked 24 hours a day in three shifts without breaks, often in sub-zero temperatures.

These are the heroes of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). But sadly, the extraordinary work being carried out by this organisation since 1960 remains largely unrecognised.

Headed by a Lieutenant General from the Army’s Corps of Engineers (currently Lt Gen Harpal Singh), the BRO comprises around 1,250 officers, 32,000 men and upward of 70,000 labour force. As the nation’s flag-bearer in the creation of critical border infrastructure, with its 18 projects bearing exotic names like Arunank, Brahmank, Chetak, Himank, Pushpak, Sampark, Udayak, Vartak and Vijayak, the BRO is responsible for the construction and maintenance of 60,000 km of roads, 734 bridges, 19 airfields and several tunnels through some of the most inhospitable areas, stretching from Ladakh to Mizoram.

As much as 70 per cent of its manpower is deployed in ‘high altitude, hard areas and counter-insurgency areas’. In the past 10 years, the extremely hostile operational, terrain and climatic conditions have claimed the lives of 2,245 BRO men. It’s indeed a huge sacrifice for the nation. At many places, they have to carry out urgent clearance of landslides, avalanches and snow to ensure uninterrupted movement of critical military forces. This year, in spite of the Covid pandemic and the unprecedented snowfall, all strategic passes and roads were cleared for traffic about a month before their average yearly opening dates, providing relief to people of these far-flung areas and ensuring faster movement of troops and equipment.

In recent years, there has been an upsurge in the BRO’s output, with 30% more projects being executed during FY 2019-20 as compared to 2018-19. The annual budget of Rs 3,300-4,600 crore during 2008-16, accordingly saw a substantial rise and is now over Rs 11,000 crore. The BRO has also been entrusted with 400-km roads in Uttarakhand and 250-km roads in Sikkim under the Bharatmala Project at a cost of over Rs 9,000 crore.

J&K and Ladakh have always been focus areas for the BRO. The projects in these sectors include an alternative all-weather road between Pathankot and Jammu, upgradation of Akhnoor- Poonch highway and four-laning of the Srinagar-Baramulla-Uri highway. The BRO is also deeply involved in the long term plan for all-weather connectivity to Leh from Srinagar and Manali.

Tremendous work has been done by the BRO in Ladakh to provide strategic and operational connectivity, including the 255-km-long Darbuk-Shyok-DBO road constructed under most adverse weather and terrain conditions. Many strategists believe that it is the rapid development carried out in these areas that threatened China, leading to the current standoff along the LAC.

In Uttarakhand, the BRO is upgrading roads in the Rishikesh and Joshimath sectors under the national Char Dham Project. Major development is also taking place towards the strategic sectors of Harshil and Joshimath. In the Pithoragarh sector, the BRO has already connected Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra route up to Navidang, as also the route to Adi Kailash Parbat.

In the Eastern Theatre, Sikkim and Arunachal have benefited from a large number of BRO projects, including the 578-metre-long, two-way Theng tunnel between Gangtok and Chungthang. In Arunachal Pradesh, in a major development plan, a trans-Arunachal highway, being constructed mostly by BRO, will now connect the five river valleys with multiple dual-lane roads. Last year, the PM also laid the foundation stone of the 2.2-km-long Sela-Nechiphu Tunnel at a height of 10,000 ft which will ensure all-weather connectivity between Guwahati and Tawang. Many other strategic roads to sensitive areas in both states have also been constructed or upgraded to dual-lane, all-weather roads.

The BRO is heavily involved in the Indo-China Border Road (ICBR) Project for construction of over 3,300 km of road spread over five states. With extreme commitment and dedication, it has already completed 78 per cent of its task while ensuring trafficability on 99 per cent of the road length. Last month, as part of this project, 44 bridges built by the BRO in border areas of J&K, Ladakh, Arunachal , Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab were simultaneously inaugurated and dedicated to the nation by the Defence Minister.

Unknown to most, the BRO has also carried out projects in several foreign countries to include the construction of the Delaram-Zaranj highway in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, two BRO men laid down their lives here during a suicide attack on the workforce. Another milestone was the construction and maintenance of the prestigious 160-km-long Tamu-Kalemyo-Kalewa road in Myanmar.

No story on the BRO can ever be complete without a mention of its subtle sense of humour. Driving along its dangerous border roads, travellers cannot help but smile reading the trademark yellow signages with curious advisories like ‘Don’t be a Gama in the Land of the Lama’, ‘After Whisky Driving Risky’, ‘Be Gentle on my Curves’, ‘It is not a Race or Rally, Enjoy the Valley’, ‘Peep Peep Don’t Sleep’ and ‘Hurry Burry Spoils the Curry’!

The achievements of the BRO have been unparalleled. It is, without doubt, the lifeline of the Army, as also for the millions living in remote areas of our country. Soldiers and civilians alike, who have traversed the hostile terrain of our multifarious borders, will always salute the nation’s silent soldiers in khaki who have created and maintained such marvellous infrastructure over thousands of kilometres.

In recognition of their dedicated service, commitment, gallantry and sacrifice, the men of BRO have been given as many as 456 awards, including 241 Kirti and Shaurya Chakras — an amazing record to be justifiably proud of.