Amid border tensions with China along the Line of Actual Control, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Saturday visited Sukna Corp in Bengal’s Darjeeling district.
The Sukna Corp is tasked to protect Bhutan and borders with China.
Singh and General Naravane reached Sukna Military Camp late on Saturday afternoon. The two are on a two-day visit to Darjeeling and Sikkim. Both the defence minister and the Army chief will visit forward areas and interact with troops.
In the meantime, Singh will also perform ‘Shastra Puja’ on Dussehra and inaugurate an infrastructure project build by the Border Road Organisation, during his visit.
Singh has been pushing for infrastructure developments across at the border areas for swift movement of the forces.
Earlier, this month, heralding in a new era in the connectivity of roads and bridges in sensitive areas close to Western, Northern and North Eastern Borders, Singh opened 44 major permanent bridges constructed by BRO.
He also laid the foundation stone for Nechiphu Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh. These bridges are of strategic importance and provide connectivity to remote areas. The 44 bridges are spread over seven states and union territories.
Lauding the BRO for its role in improving the border infrastructure, Singh had stated that these bridges will improve connectivity in the far-flung areas of western, northern and north east sectors and fulfil the aspirations of local people.
They would also meet the transport and logistics requirements of the armed forces throughout the year, he added.
Further, the government has also planned to build 10 tunnels running up more than 100 kilometres in Ladakh and Kashmir regions for smooth movement of the military throughout the year.
The BRO has proposed eight tunnels to enhance connectivity to Ladakh and Kashmir linking roads to the Line of Control.
A few tunnels would be at the 17,000 feet connecting forward locations.
