Editorial: Infrastructure push

Launch of over 90 projects along the LAC shows India’s commitment to keep pace with China in strengthening border infrastructure

The upcoming launch of over 90 infrastructure projects along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), just two days after the conclusion of the G20 Summit, carries more than a symbolic significance. It demonstrates India’s commitment to keep pace with China in strengthening the border infrastructure. New Delhi has a long way to go to catch up with Beijing which has been in a relentless pursuit of building permanent structures close to the LAC. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to inaugurate a string of projects, built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at a cost of Rs 2,941 crore. These include roads, bridges, tunnels and airfields in 10 border States and union Territories. Last year, 103 BRO infrastructure projects were dedicated to the nation at a cost of Rs 2,897 crore. This rapid pace of infrastructure build-up comes against the backdrop of continued friction with China due to the delayed disengagement process in the Ladakh region. Waking up late to the growing threat from Chinese activity along the border, India recently started building roads and bridges in areas that didn’t have such connectivity in the past and also refurbishing roads and airfields to facilitate the transport and landing of heavy weaponry and fighter jets at high altitudes. Among the key upcoming projects is an airfield to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 218 crore in the strategically important Nyoma area of eastern Ladakh. The airfield is expected to augment air infrastructure in Ladakh — a hotbed of India-China hostilities — and boost the Indian Air Force’s battle-readiness along the northern border.

It is crucial to ensure that such important projects are completed within specified timelines. The strategic Sela tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh, which will facilitate faster deployment of troops and weapons to forward areas in the Tawang sector, has already missed the target. In fact, India is far behind China in raising border infrastructure. Of late, the country has stepped up the pace of executing the projects. From creating 6,000 km of border roads to improving all-weather connectivity in regions of Ladakh and Kameng, the Army has greatly expanded the country’s infrastructure on this side of the LAC with China. The 2020 Galwan Valley clash was the inflection point that sharpened the country’s focus on building military capabilities and spurred unprecedented infrastructure construction to counter the adversary’s moves. The BRO has completed nearly 300 crucial projects, including roads, tunnels, bridges and airfields, during the last three years at a cost of Rs 8,000 crore to boost military mobility and logistics support for deployed forces. Even as military and diplomatic parleys between the two sides are likely to continue, India must go all out to scale up its presence along the LAC. China’s infrastructure building in the Himalayas precedes India’s efforts by several decades, with the projects more than doubling in number since 2017.

---