Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 20

The Ministry of Defence today delegated greater administrative and financial powers to the Border Roads Organisation. This will increase financial powers of the decision-making authorities in the BRO.Functioning under the control of the Ministry of Defence since 2015, the BRO is engaged in road construction to provide connectivity to difficult and inaccessible regions in the border areas of the country.The decision is in line with bringing in transformational changes in the BRO.Various powers have been revised in the organisation. Earlier, a Chief Engineer in the BRO could give administrative approval of works only up to Rs 10 crore, that too only for departmental works, whereas the Additional Director General Border Roads (ADGBR) had the powers to accord administrative approval only up to Rs. 20 crore for departmental works. For contractual works, all administrative approvals were given by the DGBR, who had powers only up to Rs 50 crore.Enhancing the powers at all levels, the ministry has allowed the Chief Engineer to accord administrative approval of up to Rs 50 crore, ADGBR up to Rs 75 crore and DGBR up to Rs 100 crore.Similarly, the BRO needs modern construction. Earlier, the DGBR had powers to allow procurement of indigenous equipment costing up to Rs 7.5 crore and imported equipment worth up to Rs 3 crore.All other cases of procurement had to be referred to the Ministry of Defence.In order to fast-track the procurement of latest construction machinery and equipment in the BRO, the Ministry of Defence has enhanced the delegation of powers up to Rs 100 crore to DGBR for procurement of both indigenous/imported equipment.The ministry in consultation with the armed forces would identify the roads to be entrusted to the BRO and fix priorities.