BRO conducts final break through blast of Nechiphu Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh

Context

Border Road Organisation (BRO) conducted a final “break through blast” to mark the successful completion of excavation work of the Nechiphu Tunnel, in Arunachal Pradesh.

About

• The 450m-long tunnel, which will bypass the existing road, will be D-shaped and comprise two lanes of 3.5m width each.
• Another 1.8 km-long tunnel is also being constructed on the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road and both will reduce distance to the area bordering China by 10km.
• It will be constructed by Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
  • It is constructed under Project Vartak of BRO.
• It is an all-weather tunnel.
• It will reduce the travel distance of military vehicles transiting towards the Indo-China border by 6 km. 
  • Also, it will reduce the travel time by 20 minutes.
• The tunnel is located at an altitude of 5,600 feet.
• The tunnel allows movement of all types of military vehicles including the artillery.
• The tunnel provides a safe route to the citizens as the region is often foggy and is prone to landslides
• Auto illumination features are to be installed in the tunnel. Also, there are two raised footpaths on either side. This helps in pedestrian movement.
• The Nechiphu is one of the 19 tunnels that are under construction along the international borders shared by India with China and Pakistan.

About Border Roads Organisation (BRO)

• This is a road construction executive force in India.
• The BRO was formed in 1960 to secure India's borders and to develop infrastructure in remote areas of the north and northeast states.
• BRO develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly neighboring countries. 
• In a bid to boost border connectivity, BRO was entirely brought under the Ministry of Defence in 2015.