61 roads along Indo-China border on the anvil: BRO chief

New Delhi, May 6 (UNI) After recent Chinese intrusions, the Border Roads Organisation is focusing more on building roads in areas bordering China with work on as many as 27 roads in progress in Arunachal Pradesh itself.

In all 61 roads have been planned on the Indo-China border of which nine have been completed, BRO Director General Arun Kumar Nanda told the press today on the eve of its Raising Day.

''While work on 52 roads were in progress eight of them would be completed by year-end.'' All the 61 road projects were slated to be completed by 2012, he said.

Right now our emphasis was on developing roads on the Indo-China border areas and for this several measures like raising new units, outsourcing of work to other agencies and hiring more equipment have been undertaken, said the BRO chief.

''Some problems are there, like forest clearance and insecure environment, but our endevour is to finish the work in the specified time-frame as areas on the Indo-China order have been identified as critical.'' On the Rohtang tunnel project, Mr Nanda said work on the 8.8 km tunnel, which would take nearly five years to finish had begun with tenders having been issued after consultancy work being completed.

''Right now tenders were being scrutinised and by June-end maybe the contract would be awarded,'' he said.

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