The main highlight was the inauguration of Chisumle-Demchok road at Umling La Pass built at over 19,000 feet in Ladakh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday dedicated to the nation 24 bridges and 3 roads, built by Border Roads Organisation (BRO), in four States and two Union Territories (UTs), through a virtual event in New Delhi, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

According to the Ministry, of the 24 bridges, nine are in Jammu and Kashmir; five each in Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh; three in Uttarakhand and one each in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

The main highlight was the inauguration of India’s first indigenous Class 70 140-feet Double-Lane Modular Bridge, built at the height of 11,000 feet at Flag Hill Dokala, Sikkim and Chisumle-Demchok road at Umling La Pass at over 19,000 feet in Ladakh which also holds the Guinness World Record of world’s highest motorable road.

These roads and bridges inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have been completed on important road axis and laterals along the Northern and Eastern borders of the country.

Speaking on the occasion, he termed the inauguration as a reflection of the BRO’s commitment to the progress of border areas and exuded confidence that these construction works would go a long way in the development of a New India.

He said the road at Umling-La pass will enable faster movement of Armed Forces, boost tourism and ensure socio-economic development of the region.

“Roads in border areas cater to the strategic needs and ensure equal participation of remote areas in the development of the nation,” he said, commending BRO for its perseverance in achieving the feat despite the challenges of sub-zero temperatures and high altitude.

The Defence Minister described indigenous Double-Lane Modular Bridge as a shining example of ‘Aatmanirbharta’ and appreciated the fact that it has been developed at a much lower cost and can be dismantled, if need be.

“It is an important milestone on the path to achieve ‘Make in India’ as envisioned by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is a symbol of the Government's resolve to provide faster connectivity to border areas. It will also pave the way for the construction of more bridges in such areas,” he added.

With the inauguration of these bridges and roads, the tally of infrastructure projects executed by BRO in a single working season has gone to a record 102

The BRO has completed the construction in a record timeframe, with state-of-the-art technology used in most of them. Earlier in June this year, Rajnath Singh had dedicated to the nation 12 roads and 63 bridges – totalling 75 projects - in the 75th year of Independence under the aegis of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.