Jammu: Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan, PVSM, VSM, Director General Border Roads (DGBR), today called on Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, at the Civil Secretariat here.
The DGBR was accompanied by Brig Rakesh Kumar Mishra, Chief Engineer Project Sampark, and Col Vishal Kumar Srivastava, Technical Secretary to DGBR.
During the meeting, Lt Gen Srinivasan apprised the Chief Secretary about the ongoing measures being undertaken by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to restore inter-divisional connectivity across J&K, particularly in the aftermath of the recent flood-like situation. He informed that men and machinery have been mobilized on a war footing to ensure early restoration of road services across theUT.
The DGBR shared an updated status of various key road stretches currently under restoration and briefed about the anticipated timelines for reopening of the key arterial roads of J&K.
He reiterated the commitment of the BRO to make these vital links motorable at the earliest possible time and assured full readiness to facilitate the smooth movement of essential supplies and traffic.
The Chief Secretary, while interacting with the DGBR, emphasized the crucial role of road connectivity for the sustenance of the mountainous region of J&K. He highlighted that apart from being vital for the transport of essential commodities, these roads also carry immense strategic importance.
Underscoring the urgency of the task, he also called for doubling efforts to ensure early completion of restoration works. He noted that in a hilly region like J&K, roads are the lifelines for its inhabitants and expressed appreciation for the dedicated efforts of the BRO in maintaining and restoring these crucial stretches despite facing formidable challenges.
The Chief Secretary conveyed confidence that the BRO would once again live up to public expectations by restoring vital road connectivity in record time and assured the Organisation of full cooperation and support from the civil administration.
The BRO chief is currently on a three-day visit to the region following heavy rains, flash floods and landslides that have damaged dozens of roads and bridges, including the most important surface link with Kashmir — the national highway.
“Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan inspected rain and flood-affected areas under Project Sampark on Wednesday to assess the damage to road infrastructure and review measures for its early restoration,” a BRO spokesperson said in a statement.
He also instructed the BRO ground workforce and commanding officers to speed up restoration work on the flood-damaged road infrastructure to ensure early resumption of surface connectivity.
Nine days of continuous rains have hit the Jammu region, resulting in a death toll of over 120 people and damage to hundreds of residential houses and other structures, besides power, water, road and agricultural infrastructure in the region.
BRO Chief discusses post-flood scenario with CS
