Shivalik, also known as Project SHIVALIK is a project of the

Border Roads Organisation The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India. BRO develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly neighboring countries. This include ...

under the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It was established on 25 February 2009 to expedite the road infrastructure developmental works in

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

. The project mainly focuses in maintaining

India–China border roads India–China Border Roads (ICBRs, ICB Roads) is a Government of India project for developing infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control, Sino-Indian border by constructing strategic roads, including bridges and tunnels. The ICBR project ...

in the region while also providing year long connectivity to

Char Dham The Char Dham ( ), or the Chatur Dhama (), is a set of four Hindu pilgrimage sites in India, consisting of Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram. Badrinath, Dwarka, and Puri are shrines of Vishnu, whereas Rameswaram is a shrine of Shiva. ...

. It also plays a vital role in the Bharatmala project in the region. Apart from these, the project also contributes in

humanitarian assistance Humanitarian assistance is aid and action designed to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity during and after man-made crises and disasters. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including providing food, water, shelter, ...

and

disaster relief Emergency management (also Disaster management) is a science and a system charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actu ...

along with other agencies.

Command structure

The project is mainly divided into 21st task force and the 36th task force. Both of these task forces include numerous

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specifi ...

which in turn include

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

s and detachments. The task forces are headed by a

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

while the companies are headed by an

officer commanding The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually giv ...

Works and involvements

Shivalik maintains more than of roads and bridge infrastructure all around the mountainous terrain of Uttarakhand which include national highways and general staff roads which are in line with defence requirements. The project works in two sectors,

Joshimath Joshimath, also known as Jyotirmath, is a town and a municipal board in Chamoli District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Located at a height of 6,150 feet (1,875 m), it is a gateway to several Himalayan mountain climbing expeditions, tre ...

and Harsil. The project also maintains vital infrastructure in the remote areas of Sumna, Rimkhim and Lapthal near the

line of actual control The Line of Actual Control (LAC), in the context of the Sino-Indian border dispute, is a notional demarcation lineAnanth KrishnanLine of Actual Control , India-China: the line of actual contest, 13 June 2020: "In contrast, the alignment of ...

between

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. In early 2012, when the project was under

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is a ministry of the Government of India, that is the apex body for formulation and administration of the rules, regulations and laws relating to road transport, transport research and in al ...

, it faced lack of funding and work orders which caused a tussle between the project and the ministry. Later in 2015, the entirety of

was brought under the

. During the 2012 Himalayan flash floods, due to a cloud burst in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, a national highway suffered extensive damage which cut lines of communication in the

Dharasu Dharasu is a town, near Uttarkashi in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, India. Geography It is located at an elevation of 1339 m above MSL. The Dharasu Power Station is located there, on the Bhagirathi River The Bhāgīrathī (Pron: /ˌ ...

Gangotri Gangotri is a town and a ''Nagar Panchayat'' (municipality) in Uttarkashi district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is 99 km from Uttarkashi, the main district headquarter. It is a Hindu pilgrim town on the banks of the river Bha ...

route. The project constructed two

bailey bridge A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, Prefabrication, pre-fabricated, Truss Bridge, truss bridge. It was developed in 1940–1941 by the British Empire in World War II, British for military use during the World War II, Second World War and saw ...

s and repaired the roads restoring connectivity. In another instance in the same year, the project facilitated the restoration of the blockage of several major roads due to a cloud burst in

Ukhimath Ukhimath (also spelled Okhimath) is a small town and a Hindu pilgrimage site in Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand, India, 41 km from Rudraprayag at an elevation of 1,311 meters. Gallery File:Rooms around Ukhimath Temple, Uttarakhand. ...

Rudraprayag district Rudraprayag is a district of the state of Uttarakhand of northern India. The district occupies an area of 1984 km2. The town of Rudraprayag is the administrative headquarters of the district. The district is bounded by Uttarkashi District ...

. During the 2021 Uttarakhand flood, 13 villages in

Chamoli district Chamoli district is a district of the Uttarakhand state of India. It is bounded by China's Xizang Autonomous Region to the north, and by the Uttarakhand districts of Pithoragarh district, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar district, Bageshwar to the eas ...

of Uttarakhand were cut off due to

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash f ...

s. Major damages occurred in Raini village where a

glacial lake outburst flood A glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) is a type of outburst flood caused by the failure of a dam containing a glacial lake. An event similar to a GLOF, where a body of water contained by a glacier melts or overflows the glacier, is called a j� ...

in the Rishiganga river had washed away a bridge which was the only connection to

Niti valley Niti Valley is a remote valley located in the northernmost region of Uttarakhand, India at a height of 3, 600 m (11, 811 ft). It is close to the Chinese border and Niti is the last village in the valley before the border with south Tibet. The Niti ...

. The flash floods also washed away a

hydroelectric plant Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also mo ...

in the area which trapped more than 200 workers. The project deployed engineers and troops who constructed a long

restoring connectivity in record time. The project also took assistance from the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

. The bridge was named ''The Bridge of Compassion'' to pay tribute to the workers who lost their lives in the hydroelectric plant. Apart from these, the project also organises

social welfare Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance p ...

campaigns for the locals residing in the region. In 2022, the project organised

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

s, car expeditions, health camps, sanitation and cleanliness drives, blood donation camps and

social awareness Social consciousness (or social awareness) is collective consciousness shared by individuals within a society.road safety Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures, such as traffic calming, to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, Driving, motorists, passengers of vehicles, and p ...

. In May 2023, the project was lauded by the

Minister of State for Defence The Minister of State for Defence is a mid-level position in the Ministry of Defence in the British government. It is currently held by Lord Coaker, who took the office on 8 July 2024. Responsibilities The minister has the following ministe ...

Ajay Bhatt for its remarkable achievements in building road infrastructure and facilitating tourism. In November 2023, the project assisted in the Uttarakhand tunnel rescue by facilitating the transportation of heavy machinery and providing coordination between different agencies. The project constructed a road in record time to the drilling site along with 50 box culverts and 50m of concrete pipes. In January 2024,

defence minister A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

Rajnath Singh Rajnath Singh (; born 10 July 1951) is an Indian politician and lecturer who is serving the Defence Minister of India since 20 May 2019. He was also the Deputy Leader of the House, Lok Sabha since 2014. He also served the Home Minister in th ...

inaugurated the long Dhak bridge on the Joshimath - Malari Road among 34 other projects across the country. The bridge improved connectivity to the

.{{Cite web , title=Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh begins Uttarakhand visit; to inaugurate 35 BRO projects , url=https://www.etvbharat.com/english/state/uttarakhand/union-defence-minister-rajnath-singh-uttarakhand-visit-bro-projects/na20240119132540849849015 , access-date=2024-01-19 , website=ETV Bharat News , language=en

References

Border Roads Organisation Transport in Uttarakhand 2009 establishments in India

Command structure

Works and involvements

See also

References