Tezpur (Assam): In a strategic move, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is constructing the country’s first underwater road-cum-rail tunnel across the Brahmaputra river in Assam. The underwater tunnel will be the longest road and rail tunnel in the world. Border Roads Organisation Director General Lt General Rajeev Chaudhry said the project is currently in the final stage of planning and work will start after it gets approval from the Centre.
India has facilitated communication along the border with state-of-the-art facilities despite China's frequent claims on Arunachal Pradesh. Recently, the Government of India has undertaken work on the construction of roads connecting the LAC and an additional 1,800 km of roads along the border by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). He said it is the first road tunnel to be built across the river in the country.
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In an exclusive interview with senior journalist Pranab Kumar Das of ETV Bharat, Border Roads Organisation Director General Lt General Rajeev Chaudhry said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the Vibrant Village Programme (VVP) from the first border village of Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh on April 10.
Out of a total of 1,662 villages under VVP in the country, 441 villages have been included in Arunachal Pradesh alone. The government has allocated a total of Rs 4,800 crore for the Vibrant Village Programme out of which 50% or Rs 2,500 crore has been allocated for the construction of border roads alone, he said.
