Linking frontiers with the nation

In an exclusive interview to Ananya Dasgupta, Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan, PVSM, VSM, Director-General, Border Roads Organisation, describes the many challenging initiatives taken up by the organisation to connect India with its remotest corners.

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Q: The BRO has built over 65,000 kilometres of roads. What is the one Himalayan feat that you pulled off recently?

A: There has been a surge in the work we do on the borders. And this has come top-down. The Government of India over the last 10 years has given tremendous impetus to the development of border infrastructure. While we were building roads earlier, the pace has remarkably improved. We started by playing catch-up, and now we've caught up. Many passes have been connected and we have surmounted many heights. Some of you are bikers, and you would have gone over the Khardung La Pass, which is at 18,400 feet, at the level of Everest Base Camp. Three years ago, we reached Umling La, which is at 19,000 feet. And I think last month, we managed to connect Mig La at 19,400 feet, this is higher than the Everest Base Camp. These are the kinds of milestones that make you happy and proud.

We have so many achievements that have entered international records of high-altitude infrastructure development. In eastern Ladakh, we built the Saser Brangsa bridge - over 300 metres long - in less than 347 days at 15,000 feet over a frozen shore. Every sector, whether it is Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, down to Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur - all the border states - we have achieved significant targets. We know we need to do more and we are geared up to do it.

Q: The BRO has built the Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road from Manali to Leh, now the third alternative route. How has that been a game-changer?