Border Roads Organisation celebrates 64th raising day with honour and dedication

Border Roads Organisation (BRO) celebrated its 64th Raising Day on may 7 with great zeal and enthusiasm at all its locations spread across the country. BRO, the leading road construction agency in India, executes road construction and maintenance works along the Northern and Western frontiers primarily to meet the strategic requirements of the Armed Forces.

BRO has constructed over 61,218 km of roads, over 915 bridges, four tunnels, and 19 airfields along India's borders and in friendly foreign countries, including Bhutan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. The organisation is known for its engineering marvels such as the Atal Tunnel at Rohtang, which is the World’s Longest Highway Tunnel above 10,000 feet, the world’s highest motorable road over Umling La at 19024 ft, and maintaining 10 out of the 13 highest passes in the world.

The main event was organised at BRO School and Centre, Pune, and was attended by Raksha Rajya Mantri Ajay Bhatt, who conveyed his best wishes to the organisation. The Hon’ble Minister complimented all ranks of BRO for enhancing the operational preparedness of the Armed Forces and uplifting the socio-economic conditions of the people living in the border areas. He reiterated his confidence in BRO stating that, in the future, the infrastructure constructed by BRO will not only strengthen the security matrix of the nation but also bring positive changes in the lives of common people.

As part of BRO Day, the Hon’ble Minister flagged in the “Ekta Avam Shradhanjali Abhiyaan,” a multi-modal expedition that commenced on 10 April 2023 from Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) in Ladakh and Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh and culminated on 07 May 2023 at Pune. The Hon’ble Minister inaugurated BRO Technical Training Complex and Drive-through Automated Driving Track. He also released BRO-centric software created as part of the Digital India initiative to automate various aspects of the functioning of the BRO.

Project Swastik, located in Gangtok and headed by Brig N Ahlawat, is responsible for road construction in North Bengal and Sikkim. The Project and all its sub-units celebrated the 64th BRO Day with great enthusiasm. The events in Project Swastik started with a tribute to all gallant martyrs of Project Swastik by Wreath Laying and memorial ceremony at all Memorials across the Project.

Speaking on the auspicious occasion, Director General Border Roads (DGBR) Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry, VSM conveyed his greetings to all veterans and serving BRO Personnel and exhorted all ranks of the organisation to continue traversing the path of excellence with renewed vigour and dedication. The DGBR mentioned that the coming year promises a lot of hope for BRO and the nation as the organisation brings to conclusion certain critical airfield construction projects being undertaken by Project Swastik.

Project Swastik is maintaining and constructing more than 1,100 km of roads in the State of Sikkim and North Bengal and will upgrade more than 250 km of roads to NHDL specifications under Bharatmala Pariyojna. This will give a major boost to tourism in the States and all-weather connectivity to the frontiers to meet strategic requirements in the coming years.

The 64th Raising Day of BRO was a tribute to the dedication and hard work of all BRO personnel who have been tirelessly working to enhance the security and socio-economic conditions of the country. Their relentless efforts and achievements are a testament to BRO's commitment