BORDER SECURITY is vital to the integrity of a nation and gains added criticality in times of hostilities. The pandemic added another dimension of tension to the exigency of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to construct all-weather roads along the country’s northern borders having treacherous terrain and harsh climate.
BRO is India’s multifaceted, transnational, modern construction organisation, committed to meeting the strategic needs of the armed forces by developing cost-effective and sustainable road infrastructure to safeguard the nation.
Despite adverse conditions, L&T delivered a fleet of road-construction machinery to the BRO to help it accomplish this task of monumental national importance. Indigenously designed and manufactured as part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative, L&T’s brawny road-construction machines are built to withstand the toughest conditions.
L&T’s able team of service engineers commissioned the machines in their respective places of deployment over a period of six weeks and handed them over to the BRO. The L&T team conducted extensive training in operations and maintenance for the BRO team, so that the work could proceed smoothly and effectively.
L&T’s supplies to the BRO included four L&T 9020 Wheel Loaders and three L&T 1190 Soil Compactors, that were airlifted from the Pathankot airbase and delivered to Leh. These machines were deployed to the ‘forward’ areas, including the Chang La (‘Northern Pass’), widely believed to be the world’s second-highest pass. Another machine is deployed for general construction activity about 350 km from Leh.
The BRO has also effectively utilised the L&T 1190D Soil Compactors at Phobrang, Chumathang and Nyoma in Leh to maintain roads in the strategic areas for easy maneuverability of the armed forces. During the exercise, L&T compactors demonstrated high performance and could easily adapt to the demanding needs of border roads development.
“We are extremely proud to partner with BRO in providing vital infrastructure to the nation. Though we play a small role in this strategically important project, we feel there is more scope for our construction and roadmaking machinery and look forward to expanding our role in the future.”
“This is our small step towards fulfilling the objective of Atmanirbhar Bharat,” says Mr Arvind K Garg, EVP and Head – L&T Construction & Mining Machinery.
