By IANS,
New Delhi : India’s 73 strategic border roads projects in the north and northeast will be completed in phases by 2016, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said Wednesday.
Of the 73 roads, 15 have been completed and 39 are scheduled for completion by 2013, Antony said during question hour in the Rajya Sabha.
“The remaining 19 will be completed by 2016,” he added.
Querried about the delay in the border roads projects, Antony attributed this to forest and wildlife clearances, hard rock stretches, a limited working season and inadequate air support for mobilising resources.
“Government regularly monitors all developments on the borders which may impact on national security. All necessary measures are being taken to maintain the required level of defence preparedness,” he said.
To a question on army engineers being deputed to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Antony said this took place as per the manning ratio approved by the government.
The army’s engineer offices deputed to the BRO are drawn from the Corps of Engineers, the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers and the Corps of Signals. There are 193 such officers now serving with BRO.
“Of them, 134 are from a civil engineering background and have a BE or a B.Tech (Civil) degree and the remaining are from other engineering streams,” Antony added.