Border Roads Organization

Policy Update
Anish Pujapanda

Background

The Border Roads Organisation is one of the statutory bodies or regulated bodies which is under the ownership of the Ministry of Defence which comes under the Union Government of India.The BRO’s develops and looks to maintains the road networks in the India’s areas which is in the borders and also the neighbouring countries which are friendly in nature. The history of the Border Roads Organisation dates back to its formation in the 1960s whose main duty is making road infrastructure for the armed forces of India and also for the neighbouring friendly nations. BRO earlier used to receive funds from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Functioning of the BRO

The Border Roads Organisation consists of the Border Roads Wing which is specifically under the Ministry of Defence and the General Reserve Engineer Force whose officers are selected through the Engineering Services Exam which is conducted by the UPSC. The GREF officers come from various backgrounds of civil engineers, mechanical engineers and administrative officers . The functioning body of the Border Roads Organisation ranges from officers of Indian Armed Forces, Internal Financial Advisor . Currently the BRO includes 18 projects which are divided into Task Forces, Road Construction Companies (RCCs), Bridge Construction Companies(BCCs), Drain Maintenance Companies(DMCs)etc. The organization includes the conduction of base workshops , training and recruitment centres to make the people aware about their duties.

BRO is given the responsibility of constructing roads, bridges, helipads, tunnels and airfields. The BRO is responsible for maintaining the road networks. As many places in India , the terrains are very much difficult due to which the routes are blocked by landslides, snow blocks and avalanches which need to be cleared as soon as possible. It also acts during the crisis situation of war to execute the additional tasks of rehabilitation which are laid down by the government to contribute to the development of peace after work .

Performance

BRO since its inception in 1960 has built close to 64,100 km of road, 1,179 bridges ,07 tunnels and 22 airfields across India’s borders and neighbouring countries. Through the overseas infrastructure in the neighbouring countries in Bhutan , Myanmar, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, BRO looks to supports regional connectivity and strategic partnerships

Over the last 2 years , BRO has built close to 356 infrastructure projects setting a benchmark in building the strategic road infrastructure. The Union government of India . By looking at the vital contribution of the BRO in national security and regional development , the government increased the allocation from 6,500 crore in the Union Budget 2024-2025 to 7,146 crore in the Union Budget 2025-2026. The BRO is on an upward trajectory with a spending target of 17,900 crore for the FY 2025-26.

The BRO is the most strict architect of India’s security and development at the nation’s edges .

Impact

As of 2025, BRO currently maintains 18 field projects , which have been dedicated to engineering and executing the strategic infrastructure across the 11 states and 3 union territories. The major infrastructure which have been formed as a result of these projects are large -scale roads, bridges, tunnels and airfields which have been reinforced for majorly 2 goals which are national security and socio – economic development under the initiatives like Act East and Vibrant Villagers Programme.

The BRO’s through its projects like the Vartak , Aruntak in Arunachal Pradesh is connecting the remotest villages to the Line of Actual Control, In Ladakh , projects like Himank , Beacon , Deepak etc maintain the vital lifelines of the Kargil , Leh and the Karakoram region covering different strategic notes and ensures all weather connectivity as these areas are quite sensitive to the weather changes. The Northeast is an agglomeration of different states from Assam to Tripura so projects like Sewak in Nagaland and Manipur and Setuk in Assam and Meghalaya helps to strengthen regional access.

Finally one of the most important projects of the BRO is Dantak which is an overseas arm of Bhutan which reinforces bilateral ties through extensive road, bridge and infrastructure development. Through these different projects/ initiatives , BRO shows its exemplary commitment to national security , strategic preparedness and regional development which are one of the most important goals that need to be achieved by the country.

Other Activities of the Border Roads Organisation

Road Clearance and Snow Management : There are many areas in the country which face extreme weather conditions due to which the roads are shut down . In these conditions , the officers of the Border Roads Organisation look to cut down the walls of the snow in areas of the extreme cold areas which is necessary to bring down life back to the soilders and civilians living in those areas .
Emergency Air Logistics – The BRO restores access to the advanced landing grounds and helipads which enables the officers of the Indian Air Force to carry out relief activities during the situations of crisis or aftermath of war.
Creation of the Bailey/ Modular Bridges and Causeways : Different areas in India specially the areas with extreme weather conditions are prone to an natural disaster i.e floods which washes away the connectivity of the areas affected with the other areas. Thus in these areas , the BRO restores the access in areas like Uttarakhand and Assam by creating instant bridges which are necessary to carry the supplies for the survival of the people.

Challenges

Although the Border Roads Organisation is involved in maintaining national security and socio – economic development. But it has to face different kinds of challenges in its working process . The different challenges are listed below

Functioning Hurdles : The delay in operationality as the working of the BRO has to go through the environmental clearances, acquisition issues with the local government bodies.
Environmental Constraints: BRO’s work is situated mostly in the remotest areas of the country which ranges from the Arunachal Pradesh , Ladakh, Uttarakhand etc which are prone to the extreme weather conditions in terms of high temperatures, frequent rain activities which delays or hampers the working of the Border Roads Organisation.
Administrative and Technical Issues: The reliance on the older technologies by the BRO and shortage of equipment in respect to the authorized numbers it thus hinders the work of the Border Roads Organisation.

Way Forward

Border Roads Organisation is indomitable to the goals of national security and promotion of socio – economic development . It works in remotest areas for building the infrastructure and also the other activities which are necessary for the functioning of the armed forces and the civilians residing in those areas . But they have to face different challenges in terms of environmental constraints , technical issues etc.

But there needs to be a constant improvement in the technological equipment which are necessary for the creation of the infrastructure. The BRO has recently upgraded its equipment by 27% which is a sign of progress but constant work on upgrading the equipment still needs to be done. The BRO is not building roads but building the nation’s frontiers with its heartland and ensuring security and mobility.

References

Press Information Bureau(2026) : Connecting Places, Connecting People. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2215957&reg=3&lang=2

PRS Legislative Research(2019): Provision of all weather road connectivity under Border Road Organisation. https://prsindia.org/files/policy/policy_committee_reports/Standing%20Committee%20Report%20Summary_BRO%20and%20Border%20Roads.pdf

MP-IDSA(2013):Border Roads Organisation in the North- East: Need for Priority.https://idsa.in/system/files/gsen_161213.pdf

Verma, Agrawal(2022): Border Areas Prosperity through Improved Connectivity : The case of Northeast India.https://cuts-citee.org/pdf/bp-border-area-prosperity-through-improved-connectivity.pdf

About the Contributor:

Anish Pujapanda is a Research and Editorial Intern at IMPRI.

Acknowledgement: The author extends sincere gratitude to the IMPRI team for their expert guidance and constructive feedback throughout the process.

Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organization.