Border Roads Organisation
Encyclopedia
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) maintains roads that serve the borders areas of India. It is staffed with a combination of Border Roads Engineering Service officers from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) and officers from the Corps of Engineers
of the Indian Army
. The organisation develops and maintains arterial roads on the borders of India. The BRO is also involved in the construction of a tunnel at the Rohtang pass
. BRO's activities have also helped to accelerate the economic development of the North and North-Eastern border states of India. The road-construction teams have to deal with harsh climatic conditions.
The BRO faces environments like the icy Himalayan
mountaintops, the marshes of West Bengal
, and the deserts
in Rajasthan
.
The BRO builds and maintains roads at high altitude; Some of the BRO roads are built as high as 5600 metres (18,373 ft) above mean sea level.
The Border Roads Organisation operates a network of over 32885 kilometres (20,434 mi) of roads and 12200 metres (40,026 ft) of permanent bridges. BRO has operations in twenty-two states including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory
.
as the Border Roads Development Board with Indian Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru
as its chairman. BRO is led by the Director General of Border Roads, who holds the rank of Lieutenant General
.
. The staff also includes administrative officers, supervisors, and other trades. The organisation's operations are spread across India, Bhutan
, Myanmar
, Tajikistan
, and Afghanistan
.
The fundamental unit of the BRO is similar to a platoon. This functional platoon, composed of civil engineer officers from the GREF and army civil engineers
, is in charge of activities such as formation cutting, surfacing, and safety mechanisms to maintain correct road geometry. BRO units also handle the construction of permanent and temporary bridges, causeways, and airfields.
The BRO includes 18 Projects, which are divided into Task Forces, Road Construction Companies (RCCs), Bridge Construction Companies (BCCs), Drain Maintenance Companies (DMCs), and other functional platoons. The organisation also includes base workshops, store divisions, training and recruitment centers, and other staff.
The BRO is also in charge of maintenance of its road networks. In many places landslides, avalanches and snow block the routes and have to cleared as quickly as possible. BRO also employs the more than two lakh
(200,000) local workers in the task.
An Internal Financial Advisor supports the BRO, performing the roles of Chief Accounts Officer and Internal Auditor. This system was introduced on 23 March 1995 to introduce efficiency and improve resource utilisation.
The IFA secured ISO 9001 certification in December 1999.
Some of these projects carry out some of the development initiatives of the Government of India in foreign territories like Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Bhutan. These include the Delaram-Zaranj Highway in Afghanistan, completed and handed over to the Afghan government during 2008,
and the restoration of the Farkhor
and Ayni
air bases in Tajikistan
.
The BRO also played a vital role in reconstruction work in the aftermath of the devastating 2004 Tsunami in Tamil Nadu
, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake
,
and the 2010 Ladakh flash floods
.
Indian Army Corps of Engineers
The Indian Army Corps of Engineers has a long and illustrious history dating back to the mid-18th century. The earliest existing subunit of the Corps dates back to 1777 while the Corps officially recognises its birth as 1780 when the senior most group of the Corps, the Madras Sappers were...
of the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
. The organisation develops and maintains arterial roads on the borders of India. The BRO is also involved in the construction of a tunnel at the Rohtang pass
Rohtang Tunnel
Rohtang Tunnel is a tunnel proposed to be built under the Rohtang Pass in the Leh-Manali Highway. The tunnel will be the longest road tunnel in India and is expected to reduce the distance between Manali and Keylong by over Lying on the Manali-Leh axis, this is the only route to Ladakh, as the...
. BRO's activities have also helped to accelerate the economic development of the North and North-Eastern border states of India. The road-construction teams have to deal with harsh climatic conditions.
The BRO faces environments like the icy Himalayan
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
mountaintops, the marshes of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, and the deserts
Thar Desert
The Thar Desert |Punjab]] province. The Cholistan Desert adjoins the Thar desert spreading into Pakistani Punjab province.-Location and description:...
in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
.
The BRO builds and maintains roads at high altitude; Some of the BRO roads are built as high as 5600 metres (18,373 ft) above mean sea level.
The Border Roads Organisation operates a network of over 32885 kilometres (20,434 mi) of roads and 12200 metres (40,026 ft) of permanent bridges. BRO has operations in twenty-two states including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory
Union Territory
A Union Territory is a sub-national administrative division of India, in the federal framework of governance. Unlike the states of India, which have their own elected governments, union territories are ruled directly by the federal government; the President of India appoints an Administrator or...
.
History
The BRO was formed on 7 May 1960as the Border Roads Development Board with Indian Prime Minister
Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
as its chairman. BRO is led by the Director General of Border Roads, who holds the rank of Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
.
Structure
The BRO consists of the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF)—the execution force—under the Ministry of Surface Transport, and officers from Indian Army Corps of Engineers, who are deputed on loan to this organisation. The GREF includes civil, electrical, and mechanical engineers. They are selected from engineering colleges across India through the annual Engineering Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service CommissionUnion Public Service Commission
The Union Public Service Commission is the central agency authorized to conduct the Civil Services Examination for entry-level appointments to the various Civil Services of India. The agency's charter is granted by the Constitution of India...
. The staff also includes administrative officers, supervisors, and other trades. The organisation's operations are spread across India, Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
, and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
The fundamental unit of the BRO is similar to a platoon. This functional platoon, composed of civil engineer officers from the GREF and army civil engineers
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
, is in charge of activities such as formation cutting, surfacing, and safety mechanisms to maintain correct road geometry. BRO units also handle the construction of permanent and temporary bridges, causeways, and airfields.
The BRO includes 18 Projects, which are divided into Task Forces, Road Construction Companies (RCCs), Bridge Construction Companies (BCCs), Drain Maintenance Companies (DMCs), and other functional platoons. The organisation also includes base workshops, store divisions, training and recruitment centers, and other staff.
The BRO is also in charge of maintenance of its road networks. In many places landslides, avalanches and snow block the routes and have to cleared as quickly as possible. BRO also employs the more than two lakh
Lakh
A lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...
(200,000) local workers in the task.
An Internal Financial Advisor supports the BRO, performing the roles of Chief Accounts Officer and Internal Auditor. This system was introduced on 23 March 1995 to introduce efficiency and improve resource utilisation.
The IFA secured ISO 9001 certification in December 1999.
Projects/Initiatives
The BRO undertakes projects in India and friendly countries. These projects typically include developing roads, bridges, and airfields in hostile environments shunned by private enterprises, whether due to security concerns related to hostilities, or because of environmental challenges.Some of these projects carry out some of the development initiatives of the Government of India in foreign territories like Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Bhutan. These include the Delaram-Zaranj Highway in Afghanistan, completed and handed over to the Afghan government during 2008,
and the restoration of the Farkhor
Farkhor Air Base
Farkhor Air Base is a Tajik military air base located near the town of Farkhor in Tajikistan, south east of the capital Dushanbe. It was expected to become an Indian military base situated in a foreign country and just 2 km from the Tajik-Afghan border....
and Ayni
Ayni Air Base
Ayni Air Force Base, also known as Gissar Air Base, is a military air base in Tajikistan, just 10 km west of the capital Dushanbe.During the Cold War era, Ayni served as a major military base of the Soviet Union. However, following Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, the base's infrastructure...
air bases in Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
.
The BRO also played a vital role in reconstruction work in the aftermath of the devastating 2004 Tsunami in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake
2005 Kashmir earthquake
The 2005 Kashmir earthquake was a major earthquake centered in Pakistan-administered Kashmir known as Azad Kashmir, near the city of Muzaffarabad, affecting Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It occurred at 08:52:37 Pakistan Standard Time on 8 October 2005...
,
and the 2010 Ladakh flash floods
2010 Leh floods
The 2010 Leh floods occurred on 6 August 2010 in Leh, the largest town in Ladakh, a region of the northernmost Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. At least 193 people are reported to have died, five of whom were foreign tourists, after a cloudburst and heavy overnight rains triggered flash floods...
.