The government has started the process to build a two-lane bridge in Arunachal Pradesh close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) bordering China that will shorten the distance by 180 km for Army’s heavy vehicles carrying defence equipment such as the howitzers.
The 386-metre-long bridge with new approach roads of almost 4.5 km will come up over the river Siang in the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh within the next three years. The government has invited bids for the project worth Rs 199 crore on March 24.
“This road bridge is proposed in order to provide better connectivity to heavy vehicles commuting through Yingkiong-Tuting route and to provide easy and quick access to army and paramilitary forces on the Indo-China border in Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The proposed bridge connecting Yingkiong to Tuting will shorten the distance from 330 km to 150 km for heavy vehicles,” a senior government official told News18.
There is an existing ‘Gandhi Bridge’ across Siang River near the proposed site at Yingkiong town which was inaugurated four years ago and is India’s longest single lane steel cable bridge. But this bridge imposes height and width restrictions for freight and transport due to an existing width and loading restricted bridge spanning across Siang River used for communications.
The load and width restrictions are considered a major limitation on this stretch of the road network for the passage of oversize freight and Defence force equipment. Hence, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) will build a new two-lane extra-dosed bridge across the Siang river. The project lies in extreme steep terrain.
The new bridge will also be a life line for local inhabitants of Yingkiong town and will connect the western region of Siang River to NH-513 which will be an alternative route to access the town.
Infra Boost Post Indo-Chinese Forces’ Clashes
Since the clashes with the Chinese forces in Tawang and Yangtze in Arunachal Pradesh since 2021 at the LAC, the government has been on an overdrive to ramp up its border infrastructure in the state. Defence minister Rajnath Singh in January visited the Siang district to inaugurate a 100-metre-long steel arch Siyom bridge in the state that would offer alternative connectivity to the LAC. The Siyom bridge is facilitating quicker movement of troops and heavy equipment like howitzers to Upper Siang, and the new proposed bridge over Siang will help further to take such equipment close to the LAC quicker.
News18 had reported on February 3 that India has started building a new 78-km-long strategic road from its easternmost village in Arunachal Pradesh right up to 4 km from the LAC, touching almost the crucial tri-junction of India, China, and Myanmar. The project will start from Dong, which lies at the meeting point of Lohit and Seti rivers in Arunachal Pradesh, ending at Jachep camp, which is located 4 km short of the LAC.
Arunachal Pradesh has seen skirmishes between the Indian and Chinese troops over the years. Last December, Rajnath Singh revealed that Chinese troops had tried to cross the LAC in Yangtze in Tawang sector to “unilaterally change the status quo” but were forced to retreat due to the timely intervention of Indian troops. In October 2021, too, a large Chinese patrol attempted to transgress the LAC at Yangtze, leading to a major face-off between the two sides.
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