Strengthened border infrastructure is of utmost importance for India. Over the past few decades, Ladakh has emerged as a tourist hub but with repeated conflicts escalating with China, and its strategic location in between Pakistan and China border, Ladakh has immense importance in the Indian foreign policy as well. This has compelled the BRO to lay down strategic infrastructure along the border states for Indian forces.
Crux of the Matter
Requirement of Migrant Laborers In the past few years owing to the overall infrastructural development, Ladakh has emerged as an attractive investment destination also generating employment in the informal sector and seasonal jobs especially to the migrant laborers from the states like Bihar, UP, and Jharkhand. Border Road Organisation (BRO) had requested for 11, 815 workers from Jharkhand for construction projects in Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir. Earlier, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren had declined the request owing to a variety of logistical and safety issues like wages, accommodation, rations, clothing, and injury benefits faced by the laborers. After clarifications and a written assurance from BRO, the CM has given a green signal to induct workers from its state and thus Jharkhand will sign a first of its kind MoU with the BRO who will now register as an employer under the Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979 and ensure the welfare of workers in all recruitments in the future. Following the approval, the railways will arrange 11 special trains to transport the workers to Udhampur. But why is BRO in such an urgent need of labourers?
BRO Gearing Up to face China’s Preparedness For decades India’s infrastructure projects along the border have been stalled and delayed whereas China has built superior road and rail infrastructure. On the Indian side, many of the roads stop 60 to 80 km before the LAC affecting troop deployment and forward presence. China’s aggressive stance along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh has pushed India to develop infra projects and improve connectivity in the border areas. The budget of BRO which had remained stagnant at around ₹4000 crores from 2009 to 2014 has now got a major push and the budget has seen a steep rise to ₹5400 crores in 2018 and to ₹8,000 crores in 2019-20, and it is likely to cross ₹10,000 crores in 2020-21.
Where It Hurts China Expert attribute ongoing face-off at LAC to China’s stiff opposition to India for laying a key road in the Finger area around the Pangong Tso Lake besides construction of another road connecting the Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie road in the Galwan Valley. The road projects in the border areas assume significance as they come amid a confrontation between both the militaries in Ladakh. The BRO is working on 61 projects like Operation Vijayak in Ladakh, Project Shivalik in Uttarakhand, Project Deepak in Himachal Pradesh, and Project Beacon in Jammu and Kashmir and despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, it has completed some important projects in the month of May and June and aims to complete all by December 2022.
Closing In Chinese has deployed heavy vehicles across Demchok along with nearly 5,000 Chinese personnel to not only oversee the construction work but also stall any efforts from the Indian side. China has a 40,000 km road network in Tibet and rail links enable them to ferry a large number of forces in a relatively short span of time. China plans to corner India by massively investing billions of dollars in India’s long time friends: Nepal and Sri Lanka who are either by choice or force submitting to the Chinese propaganda. As China continues to strongarm them, Mandarin has been made compulsory in Nepal’s education system and it has also claimed India’s road to Kailash-Mansarovar through Lipulekh. Its growing activities in the South China Sea is also becoming a global concern as well. China has occupied 38,000 sq km of its territory in Aksai Chin which is the high ground to deter Central Asia, while it also claims 90,000 sq km in Arunachal Pradesh. Through its infrastructure projects like One Belt One Road, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor China has acquired strategically important lands in Nepal, Pakistan, and PoK which have raised concerns about territorial sovereignty and are a substantial threat to India. As the infrastructure gap has started reducing, we are seeing more stand-offs between the two nations and thus for India, completion of current and proposed infrastructure projects along the borders could herald greater economic growth for the region and increase its geopolitical importance.
Curiopedia
Leh is the joint capital and largest town of the union territory of Ladakh in India. Ladakh is the largest and the second least populous union territory of India.
The Tibetan and Ladakhi name La-dwags means “land of high passes”. Ladak is its pronunciation in several Tibetan districts, and Ladakh is a transliteration of the Persian spelling.
Himank is a project of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in the Ladakh region of northernmost India that started in August 1985. Himank is responsible for the construction and maintenance of roads and related infrastructure including the world’s highest motorable roads across the Khardung La, Tanglang La and Chang La passes. Himank’s work ensures access to sensitive military areas including the world’s highest battle-ground at the Siachen Glacier and Pangong Tso Lake (at 14500 ft) whose waters span the de facto India-China border.
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