NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
A team of Indian officials will undertake a preliminary survey in Afghanistan on the opportunities in road development, the Director General of the Border Road Organisation, Lieutenant General Prakash Suri, said on Monday.
According to Gen Suri, BRO officials will leave in a few days.
Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs said though India has not been given any concrete task in rebuilding Afghanistan's road network, "we are interested".
Last week BRO began constructing Jammu and Kashmir's first four-lane highway from Jammu to Pathankot.
The highway -- part of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Golden Quadrangle project -- will be 18 km long.
Gen Suri said the project would be completed in the next three years and hoped that BRO would get more opportunities to participate in the national highway project.
BRO is also constructing the 9-km-long Rohtang tunnel that would help build an all-weather road to Leh. The present road to Leh -- National Highway 1A, which passes through Kargil -- is closed during winter.
General Suri said: "The work on the approach roads to the tunnel is beginning in the next few days."
The organisation, which is celebrating its 42nd founding day on Monday, has proposed a Rs 1200 crore [Rs 12 billion] budget for the next year.
BRO was set up in 1960, and has several thousand kilometres of roads to its credit in strategic locations, especially along the borders.
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
