New Delhi, July 6, 2025 (ANI): Delhi | Director General (DG) of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Lieutenant General Raghu Srinivasan says, "For the work that we did in the Amarnath Yatra, we employed approximately 1700 labourers, who were over there. This is employment generation. As I said, a similar amount of labour has been allocated even in the Chardham and Kailash Mansarovar projects that we are undertaking. The first thing is that the road is dual-purpose. One is that the military ensures the strategic interests are maintained, allowing us to approach and deploy in the places where we need to do so, along the northern borders. But the same road is used for the socio-economic development of the state..."
00:00The Amarnath Yatra, which was flagged off yesterday, as you understand has two approaches, one from the Chandanwari and one from Baltaal.
00:13Both these approaches, that is from Sonamarg and Avantikur, both these approaches were initially just three to four feet wide, that is the track was just three to four feet wide.
00:26We are very grateful that we got this task and we are hopeful that the Amarnath Yatra with its due reverence is completed.
00:36And you would see that in terms of the number of Yatris which are going up to the Kailash Mansurovar or the Char Dham or to the Amarnath,
00:45there is a great degree of increase and not only there is a great degree of increase, it is being done much earlier,
00:52it is being done in very quick timeframe and it is being done in relatively more safe and administratively comfortable conditions.
01:03We are very fortunate and blessed as the BRO to be associated with the projects involving religious destinations in the extreme parts of our northern borders.
01:20The Amarnath Yatra which was flagged off yesterday, as you understand has two approaches, one from the Chandanwari and one from Baltaal.
01:33Both these approaches, that is from Sonamarg and Avantikur, both these approaches were initially just three to four feet wide, that is the track was just three to four feet wide.
01:46We were honoured that the Honourable Lieutenant Governor, Sri Manoj Srinaji had tasked the Border Roads organization with the Amarnath Shrine to carry out improvement of these stretches.
02:01Now both these stretches have a total length of approximately 45 kilometres, they have been widened from the existing three to four feet to twelve feet.
02:11And this you can understand along the winding mountain passage was a challenging and extremely technical task which I am happy to say has been accomplished.
02:24Not only that, we have added approximately 32 kilometres of handrails.
02:30There are places for rest and for turning passages and all other amenities to make a safe passage right up to the Holy Cave have been put into place in record time.
02:45What is also been done is that considering the extreme religious significance of this location, extreme care has been taken that the geological conditions are not disturbed, the eco-sensitivities are maintained and whatever work we had to carry out, we carried out by extremely careful technical means.
03:12And we are very grateful that we got this task and we are hopeful that the Amarnath Yatra with its due reverence is completed.
03:19To further strengthen and facilitate the smooth conduct of pilgrimages to Char Dham, Kailash Mansarovar and Amarnath.
03:34Firstly, now I have spoken about the Amarnath Yatra, we have been associated with the general area of the Char Dham which as you know is Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri.
03:49From 1962 the border roads have been in the location of the Char Dham and all the roads going on onwards right up to Joshimat and beyond have been constructed by the border roads over the years.
04:02There is a very interesting tradition that the Ravalji, the chief priest of the Badrinath, he comes to the Badrinath temple on a vehicle of the border roads and he moves out from the temple also on a vehicle of the border roads.
04:25Now initially one can imagine that in those olden times the border roads vehicle was the only vehicle which would go up to the temple from Joshimat to Badrinath.
04:35But we are very grateful that this tradition is still carrying on and border roads is involved along with the other construction agencies in making the complete area of the Char Dham connecting these holy religious sites to national highway double lane paved shoulder specifications.
04:55And now coming to the Kailash Mansarova Yatra.
05:02Now this is an axis which follows the Kali Nadi and this is in the general area of district Pithauragarh.
05:10And as you know the Honourable Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, he had flagged off the Shradhalus from Tanakhpur yesterday.
05:19Now for the last many years this Yatra was undertaken through Nathula in Sikkim.
05:28But this is for the first time this year that the Yatra is going along on the axis as Tanakhpur, Dharchula, going on to Gunji and Tullipulik.
05:39This is a very challenging and extremely long road of approximately 250 kilometers which at the area of Gunji will be about 13,000 feet and then it will then go to the Lipulik Pass which is where the Yatris will cross over to the neighboring country and then take their onward journey to the Mansarova.
06:07And we are very happy to say that this entire road stretch is maintained and improved by the border roads organization under the Morth funding and we intend to complete the last stretch also to the national highway double lane specifications.
06:30Yes, I think this is a very, very important question which I would be delighted to answer.
06:41Let's just take the Amarna Teatra.
06:44For the work that we did in the Amarna Teatra we employed approximately 1,700 of the labor which was over there.
06:52This is employment generation as I said in the extreme northern borders of the country.
06:57And this is the similar amount of labor has been taken even in the Char Dham and in the Kailash Mansarova projects that we are doing.
07:06So the first thing is that the road as I have always said is dual purpose.
07:11One is that the military means, the strategic interests are maintained so that we can approach and deploy in the places where we need to deploy along the northern borders.
07:24But the same road is used for the socio-economic development of the state.
07:29Roads allow education, healthcare, employment, tourism and so many other facilities to go up.
07:39As you have seen, there is a case of reverse migration.
07:43Earlier, because there were no roads and because of there being no roads, there being no opportunities,
07:49the people of these border areas were migrating to the hinterland in areas like Daradoon or Leh or Srinagar,
08:00seeking employment and seeking a better life for their families in terms of education, healthcare and employment opportunities.
08:08Now, because of these roads coming up, you see the fact that these areas are becoming populated.
08:15And the important part of national security and defense is the fact that you have shown a sense of strategic sovereignty by populating your borders.
08:29That is, these people represent India and this on the borders is a very important aspect and our borders to the north are being populated.
08:37We are using our territory to generate employment and there is a great degree of economic success in all these border areas.
08:45And I would say this is entirely because our complete paradigm shift in the government's policy, we are being given a surge in terms of the budget allocation.
09:01We have empowering policies which allow us and task us to build the roads right up to the edge of our northern borders.
09:10So, what are the areas that have contributed to the smooth conduct of major pilgrimages and yatra like Char Dham, Amarnath and Kailash Mahansarovar?
09:18See, like I said earlier, these three very important pilgrimage sites, that is whether we take to the Holy Cave in Amarnath or we talk of the Char Dham or we talk of going to Kailash Mahansarovar, these are at extremely far edges of our northern border.
09:40They are at extremely high heights, the road stretch which is leading from the hinterland going up to there is extremely difficult, tenuous, long and moving through the Himalayas.
09:54There is a change in temperature, there is a change in the climate which is over there.
10:00So, all these and at places there is rarefied atmosphere, so you have problems of high altitude.
10:06In all these places, the border roads has always and from very long past for many decades maintained these roads.
10:15Now, there is greater enthusiasm amongst the local population to visit these places and now there is a requirement to make better connectivity to all these.
10:27There is a lot of impetus being given by the government to provide opportunity to the citizens to undertake this religious pilgrimage.
10:35And we have been tasked by the government to improve the road stretches leading to this religious pilgrimage which we are very honoured to have been given this task and we have tried to meet it to the best of our abilities.
10:49What has the reason to promote religious tourism across the country?
10:54I can talk about the religious tourism of the government's impetus towards it in the northern borders where we are, northern and the western and the eastern borders where we are deployed.
11:08And as you are well aware, we have very important religious sites right at the edge of the Himalayas and these have been there since very ancient times.
11:19What was earlier happening was that there were very few tourists and they would undertake the Yatra going up to these places, undertaking great difficulties and there would be many accidents which would take place.
11:35The government has given an immense surge and a lot of impetus to improve the Yatra itself, whether it is in terms of the administrative facilities for the Yatris, moving them from the hinterland right up to the religious site.
11:55And for that, for the improvement of the track and the road leading to it, we have been very fortunate that the border roads organisation has been tasked to do the same.
12:06And you would see that in terms of the number of Yatris which are going up to the Kailash Mansurovar or the Char Dham or to the Amarna, there is a great degree of increase.
12:17And not only there is a great degree of increase, it is being done much earlier, it is being done in very quick timeframe and it is being done in relatively more safe and administratively comfortable conditions.
12:32So, for this, one of the aspects is, of course, the transit facilities which the government is providing and secondly, of course, the road conditions and the movement for which we have been tasked and we are happy to say that we have done the job.
