Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to inaugurate the Siyom bridge in Arunachal Pradesh . The steel arch bridge on the Along-Yingkiong Road in the northeastern state was constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) under the project Brahmank.
The BRO has four projects in Arunachal Pradesh namely Arunank, Vartak, Brahmank and Udayak to maintain and develop infrastructure in the difficult geographical terrain and strategically important areas of this state.
The bridge will be dedicated to the nation after clashes in the Tawang sector last month sent tensions between India and China climbing.
Siyom bridge
The 100-metre long, steel arch bridge over the river Siyom gives Indian military strategic advantage in deploying troops to the far flung areas of the Line of Actual control faster besides providing connectivity to nearby villages and improving their access to markets and amenities.
The Siyom river is a tributary of the Brahmaputra. It flows through the west Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. Reports say that the new bridge over the river would improve connectivity to upper Siang district and beyond via Along (Aalo).
Northeast infra push
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had said last month that the thrust of Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti master plan was also on the northeast areas. EastMojo reported that the Indian government announced new sanctioned projects worth Rs 1.6 lakh crores in the northeast. Arunachal Pradesh has been allotted the highest – Rs 44,000 crore – among the northeastern states followed by Assam.
According to a PTI report, the BRO has constructed 3,097 km of roads in Arunachal Pradesh in the last five years, the parliament was informed last month. The BRO functions under the Ministry of Defence.
Rajnath Singh’s presence in Arunachal Pradesh is significant as it comes on the heels of clashes between Indian and Chinese troops at the border in December. The attempted Chinese incursion was successfully thwarted by the Indian soldiers, the Army had said in a statement on December 12, 2022. The altercation left soldiers on both sides with minor injuries.
This was the second escalation at the Indo-China border since the 2020 clashes in Galwan in which 20 Indian soldiers were martyred. Following the Tawang clashes, troops on both sides are on heightened alert.
The escalations in Galwan and Tawang have put the spotlight on border infrastructure construction with India moving on a war footing to close the gap with China which has speeded ahead in setting up assets – roads, bridges, airstrips and villages – on its side of the LAC.
On 3rd January Singh will inaugurate 22 bridges – 5 in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, 8 in the UT of Ladakh, 2 bridges in Uttarakhand, 3 in Sikkim, and 4 bridges in Arunachal Pradesh.
He will also flag off 3 roads constructed by the BRO – one each in J&K, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.
