Saturday, 20 January 2024 | PNS | JOSHIMATH
Border regions the nation’s face & part of mainstream, not buffer zone: Singh
Defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated 35 infrastructural works built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) from Joshimath on Friday. These works costing Rs 670 crore include six roads and 29 bridges in seven States. Singh said that the border regions of the nation are part of the national mainstream and that the government doesn’t consider these areas as part of some buffer zone.
The works inaugurated by the Defence minister include three bridges in Uttarakhand,one road and 10 bridges in Jammu and Kashmir, three roads and six bridges in Ladakh, one bridge in Himachal Pradesh, two roads in Sikkim, eight bridges in Arunachal Pradesh and one bridge in Mizoram. In Uttarakhand, the Defence minister inaugurated the Dhak bridge and the Bhupkund bridge on the Joshimath-Malari road leading to the Indo-China border region along with Rimkhim Gad bridge on the Sumna-Rimkhim motor road. These bridges will make transport in this border region convenient.
Speaking on the occasion Singh said, “We all will have to work together for protecting the borders of the nation. We are receiving everybody’s cooperation for this.” Appreciating the BRO for completing its projects on time, he stressed that work on national security and welfare should be maximised without compromising on environmental concerns. He said that by constructing roads, bridges and other infrastructure, the BRO is geographically linking the remote areas with the other regions of the nation while also connecting the residents of such remote areas with the rest of the citizens. He said, “Our government considers the border regions part of the national mainstream and not some buffer zone. There was a time when little importance was accorded to development of basic infrastructure in border areas. The governments then used to work thinking that only those living in the plains are part of the mainstream. They were bothered about the possibility of the enemy using the developments in the border regions. This narrow mindedness prevented the development of our border areas. This mentality has changed now. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our government is committed to development of the border regions considering the security needs of the nation. We do not consider such areas buffer zones but view them as part of the mainstream.”
Singh further said that climate change is not simply a meteorological issue but a serious issue related to national security. The Defence ministry is considering it seriously and will seek cooperation from friendly nations on this. The Defence minister also interacted with the BRO labourers in Dhak. He appreciated the effort put in by the BRO to enhance connectivity in the nation’s border regions amidst difficult conditions.
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami thanked the Defence minister for inaugurating the development works in the border area. He said that under PM Modi’s leadership, work is underway in Uttarakhand on major projects considering the strategic, religious and environmental importance of the region. The BJP State president Mahendra Bhatt, MLAs Anil Nautiyal, Bhupal Ram Tamta and government officials were also present on the occasion.
