BRO constructs 70-km road along India-China border in Uttarakhand, boosting connectivity

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) provided a new lifeline to Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel deployed along the Uttarakhand frontier by constructing a new high altitude motorable road linking the state’s Gharwal and Kumaon regions.

The 70-km Sumna-Lapthal-Topidunga road was completed by BRO’s Project Hirak on the eve of Diwali. The project is part of the central government’s larger effort to enhance infrastructure along the border with China to improve logistics as well as boost the socio-economic development of the region.

“Cutting through rugged terrain rising from 13,000 ft to 17,341 ft, BRO excavators and dozers operated in double shifts amid sub-zero temperatures to forge this strategic lifeline for the Army and ITBP,” BRO said on its official X handle.

Sumna is a located in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, near the Indo-China border, and is about 85 km north-east of Joshimath by road. Topidunga lies to the south of Sumna. The intermediate point at Lapthal, where an ITBP post is situated, was so far accessible only via a narrow track that was part of a trekking route.

The upgradation of the track to National Highway Single Lane specifications, including widening, black-top surfacing and strengthening of shoulders was carried out at a cost of about Rs 230 crore, BRO sources said.

In January last year, during a visit to Uttarakhand, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, had inaugurated 35 border infrastructure projects worth Rs 670 crore from the Dhak bridge on the Joshimath-Malari road in the state. These included six roads and 29 bridges, of which three projects were in Uttarakhand.

Most notable among these was the 93-m-long and 12-m-wide Class-70R bridge over the Dhak nullah. The Dhak bridge is strategically important as it connects the India-China border at Rimkhim Axis, the Niti pass and the Sumna-Lapthal-Topidunga road.

Apart from roads and bridges, BRO has also drawn up plans to develop five airfields in forward areas of Uttarakhand, including Gunji, Kalsi, Tanakpur, Tanakpur, Ghansali and Navidhang, which would facilitate faster troop movement and boost logistics.