Rajnath Singh inaugurates revamped Bagdogra airport, strategic bridges in Lachen

SUJAL PRADHAN, EOI, GANGTOK, SEPTEMBER 12, 2023: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday inaugurated two bridges on the Lachen axis in the Mangan district of Sikkim; at Munsithang and Chopta, according to a PIB release. 

These were a part of the 90 infrastructure projects dedicated to the nation by the Defence Minister during the day. 

The Nechiphu tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh, connecting Tawang and Bomdila with Tezpur, was also inaugurated. The bridges would provide all-year connectivity to the plateau of north Sikkim, giving a boost to the local economy and tourism of the region. The bridges would also be of vital strategic importance, facilitating the induction of heavy military equipment towards the border areas. The reconstructed and revamped Bagdogra and Barrackpore airfields in West Bengal were also inaugurated during the day. 

The airfields, reconstructed by the Border Roads Organization at a cost of Rs 529 crore, would improve the defensive and offensive postures of the air force along the northern borders and also facilitate commercial flights in the region. 

A road in Campbell Bay, in Nicobar Islands, connecting with Indira Point, was also inaugurated during the day; facilitating year-round connectivity with the southernmost tip of India. Project Swastik of BRO, located in Gangtok, is responsible for infrastructure development in Sikkim, parts of West Bengal, and also Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 

Some of these infrastructure projects had been built under challenging weather condition. Sikkim Minister for Roads and Bridges Samdup Lepcha and Forest Minister Karmal Loday Bhutia attended the e-inauguration of the bridges in north Sikkim at HQ Project Swastik. The pipons of Lachen Dzumsa were also present. 

The Defence Minister virtually inaugurated a coffee table book on Sikkim, bringing out the cultural heritage of the Himalayan state and work done by Project Swastik in the past 60 year