Union Minister Rajnath Singh to inaugurate a series of developmental projects in Arunachal on January 3

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Arunachal Pradesh on January 3 and inaugurate a number of developmental projects. Singh will virtually inaugurate 27 BRO projects, including the Siyom Bridge near Boleng in Siang district.

The visit comes less than a month after troops from India and China clashed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tawang sector.

The 100m long Siyom bridge over the river Siyom is a strategically important bridge because it allows the military to deploy troops to far-flung areas of the Line of Actual Control.

The Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt also informed Lok Sabha that the Ministry of Defence has entrusted the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) with the construction of roads in border areas, as per priority fixed by Army based on a five-year Long Term Roll over Works Plan (LTRoWP).

A total of 257 roads spanning 13,525.417 km have been built in the last five years, in 10 states and three Union territories,'' revealed data shared by Bhatt.

The BRO has constructed 64 roads spanning 3,097 km in Arunachal Pradesh and 43 roads spanning 3,140 km in Ladakh in the last five years, the data said further.

As per the shared data, the details of roads constructed in other states and Union Territories include -- 18 roads (663.535 km) in Sikkim; 22 roads (947.21 km) in Uttarakhand; 61 roads (2381.963km) in UT of Jammu and Kashmir' 13 roads (884.309 km) in Rajasthan.

The Defence Minister stated in Parliament that the Indian Army bravely stopped Chinese People's Liberation Army troops from encroaching on Indian territory and forced them to withdraw to their posts.

"On December 9, 2022, PLA troops attempted to cross the LAC in the Yangtse area of the Tawang sector and change the status quo unilaterally. Our troops stood firm and resolutely against the Chinese attempt. The ensuing clash resulted in a physical brawl in which the Indian Army bravely prevented the PLA from invading our territory and forced them to return to their posts "Rajnath Singh, the Defence Minister, stated in the Lok Sabha.
The Minister stated that the matter had been raised with China via diplomatic channels.

"Following this incident, the local commander of the area held a flag meeting with his Chinese counterpart on December 11 under the established system and discussed the incident. All such actions were refused by the Chinese side, who was told to keep the border peaceful "Singh stated in the Lok Sabha.

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