On July 9, 2020, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated six strategic bridges in the border areas close to the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) through video conferencing, from New Delhi. These were built in a record time by the Project Sampark of Border Road Organisation (BRO). The total outlay of the following bridges is Rs 43 crore:
- Tarnah-I Bridge (160m)
- Tarnah-II Bridge (300m)
- Palwan Bridge (91m)
- Ghodawala Bridge (151m)
- Pahadiwala Bridge (61m)
- Panyali Bridge (31m)
Of the above, the two bridges are located on the Tarnah Nallah in Kathua District while the other four are on Akhnoor-Pallanwala road in Akhnoor/Jammu district .
Key Points:
-These bridges would facilitate the movement of the Armed Forces in strategically important sectors and also contribute towards the overall economic growth of remote border areas.
-They were constructed through the segmental technique of construction and it would be an alternate route to NH 44 from Pathankot, Punjab to Jammu benefiting four lakh people in 217 villages.
-The annual budget of the BRO raised to Rs 8,050 crore in 2019-2020 and for 2020-2021 it is likely to be Rs 11,800 crore in order to improve infrastructure in border areas.
Participants during e-inauguration: The six bridges were inaugurated in the presence of Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge) and MoS Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space Dr Jitendra Singh, Member of Parliament, Jammu Shri Jugal Kishore Sharma, Chief of Army Staff Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, and along with senior Army and Civil Administration officials.
About Border Road Organisation (BRO):
Director General– Lt Gen Harpal Singh
Headquarters– New Delhi
