Boosting road infra' in Himalayan region crucial: Bhamre
2 Nov 2017 9:56 PM IST
New Delhi: Boosting road infrastructure in the Himalayan region is important as it has security dimensions, Union minister Subhash Bhamre said on Thursday. Participating in a two-day seminar organised by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) here, the Minister of State for Defence said building road infrastructure was a vital activity for socio-economic development of an area and its integration with rest of the countries.
"Road infrastructure in the Himalayan region is significant as in such areas having security concerns, a reliable and all-weather connectivity becomes all the more important," he said. The minister's remarks come in the wake of India-China stand-off in Dokalam near the Bhutan trijunction.
The government has been focusing to boost infrastructure along the nearly 4,000 km long Sino-India border, including the areas of dispute, following the Dokalam episode.
Bhamre said maintaining an all-weather road in the Upper Himalayan region was a serious concern for road construction agencies due to a difficult terrain, heavy snowfall, intense avalanches, sub-zero temperature, fragile geology and ecological concerns.
"It not only has a major bearing on socio-economic and overall development of the area, but also the strategic needs of the region and its integration with rest of the world," he said.
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