Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 5

As construction of strategic roads in border regions continue to face heavy time and cost overruns, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has sought to lease private helicopters for airlifting heavy construction equipment to remote areas for speeding up the pace of work.Delay in developing critical border infrastructure has now come into focus in the light of the ongoing border standoff between Indian and Chinese forces at Doklam on the tri-junction of Sikkim, Bhutan and China.“We have projected a requirement of helicopters or sky cranes that can airlift dozers, excavators, vehicles, compressors and other machinery to helipads located at altitudes of up to 15,000 feet so that these can be inducted in areas that are not well connected by road,” sources said. They said about 410 tonnes of euipment is required to be airlifted, both in the northern as well as eastern sectors by December in terrain characterised by thick jungles and snowbound mountains. The Comptroller and Auditor-General as well as Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence have repeatedly commented on the slow pace of road construction in border regions. The Army has also raised the issue with the Central Government as poor road network adversely affects troop movements.

Of 73 roads, just 21 ready

• As per the Comptroller and Auditor-General, of 73 roads planned to be developed along the Indo-China border, only 21 are complete
•  The deadline for construction of roads was 2012, which was revised to 2021. The project was launched in 2005
•  Inadequate funding, red-tapism, labour issues and climatic conditions are among reasons cited for the delay