Border Roads Organisation: How India’s ‘Silent Sentinel’ Builds Security, Connectivity and Confidence at the Frontiers

From icy Himalayan passes to dense forests and arid deserts, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) operates where terrain tests both engineering and human endurance. Over six decades since its creation, the BRO has evolved from a niche construction arm into a strategic pillar of India’s national security — delivering roads, tunnels, bridges and airfields that serve soldiers on the frontlines and civilians in some of the country’s most remote regions.

What is the Border Roads Organisation?

Established on May 7, 1960, the Border Roads Organisation was created to build and maintain strategic infrastructure in border and inaccessible areas. Guided by its motto — “Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam” (“Through hard work, all things are possible”) — the BRO works at the intersection of defence preparedness and development.

Since its inception, the organisation has constructed over 64,100 km of roads, more than 1,100 bridges, multiple tunnels and 22 airfields across India’s border regions. Since 2015–16, it functions fully under the Ministry of Defence, reflecting its core role in national security.

Why BRO matters strategically

For the armed forces, BRO-built infrastructure ensures rapid mobilisation, logistics flow and all-weather access to forward areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Line of Control (LoC). For border communities, the same roads mean access to markets, healthcare, education and emergency services.

This dual-use character makes BRO projects uniquely valuable: every kilometre of road is both a military asset and a development lifeline.

Scale of operations and recent momentum

BRO’s operational footprint today spans 18 field projects across 11 States and 3 Union Territories — from Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh to Rajasthan and the Northeast. In 2024–25 alone, it executed and dedicated hundreds of infrastructure works, marking one of the most productive phases in its history.

Financially, the momentum is clear. In FY 2024–25, BRO recorded its highest-ever expenditure of ₹16,690 crore. For FY 2025–26, the target has been raised to ₹17,900 crore, underlining the government’s emphasis on border infrastructure.

Landmark roads, bridges and tunnels

BRO’s recent achievements read like a map of India’s strategic priorities.

In Ladakh, projects such as Himank and Vijayak sustain lifelines like the Srinagar–Leh highway and the Darbuk–Shyok–Daulat Beg Oldie road. In Arunachal Pradesh, projects including Vartak and Arunank have delivered critical assets such as the Sela Tunnel and Nechiphu Tunnel, ensuring all-weather access to Tawang.

The Atal Tunnel under Rohtang Pass — the world’s longest highway tunnel above 10,000 feet — has transformed connectivity between Manali and Leh. Across the Northeast and western borders, dozens of major bridges and hundreds of kilometres of roads have strengthened both strategic mobility and civilian access.

Airfields and force readiness

Beyond roads and tunnels, BRO plays a vital role in maintaining and upgrading airfields that support the Indian Air Force’s operations in sensitive regions. Reconstruction and upgradation of airfields like Bagdogra and Barrackpore have enhanced both military readiness and civilian connectivity, especially in the eastern sector.

First responder in disasters

BRO is often among the first agencies to respond when disasters strike. Whether during earthquakes, cloudbursts, flash floods or avalanches, its Road Opening Parties clear snowbound passes, rebuild washed-away bridges and restore access in record time.

From reopening Zoji La after harsh winters to erecting Bailey bridges within weeks of catastrophic floods, the organisation integrates humanitarian assistance and disaster relief into its core mandate.

Beyond India: regional connectivity and diplomacy

BRO’s role is not confined within India’s borders. Through overseas projects in Bhutan, Myanmar, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, it has supported India’s strategic partnerships and regional connectivity.

The Delaram–Zaranj Highway in Afghanistan, for instance, provided landlocked regions access to Iran’s Chabahar port, while Project DANTAK in Bhutan remains one of India’s longest-running and most successful development partnerships abroad.

What lies ahead

Looking forward, BRO’s perspective plan includes hundreds of new roads and major tunnel projects aimed at ensuring seamless, all-weather connectivity across critical mountain passes. Projects like the Trans-Kashmir Connectivity initiative are designed to improve inter-valley movement, logistics resilience and long-term operational preparedness.

Why BRO’s role is only growing

As border tensions persist and climate change intensifies challenges in high-altitude regions, infrastructure is increasingly recognised as a strategic enabler. In this context, the Border Roads Organisation is not merely a construction agency — it is a force multiplier.

By binding remote frontiers more closely to the national mainstream, BRO reinforces sovereignty, security and development simultaneously. In India’s toughest terrains, it continues to prove that endurance, engineering and national purpose can quite literally carve paths through mountains.