Govt aims to start building 'Bharat Mala' in two years

The road ministry's ambitious plan to construct a road network along the land border might be rolled out within two years.

The scheme, called Bharat Mala, envisages 5,000 km of roads - both construction and upgrades - for Rs 12,000 crore. The road network will stretch from Gujarat in the west to Mizoram in the east and cover 10 other states.

Union Roads Transport & Highways Secretary Vijay Chhibber told Business Standard: "This project will provide enhanced road connectivity to different border regions in a structured fashion. It will go a long way in increasing accessibility to border-hugging regions of the nation."

Bharat Mala probably takes a cue from Sagar Mala, the project through which the government plans to construct a string of ports in the Indian Ocean to protect maritime interests.

The government plans to take construction of roads in a phased manner after detailed project reports and feasibility studies. The roads ministry is also looking at tapping the expertise of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for the tougher terrains.

BRO helps construct, maintain and operate the border roads. While it's administrative control rests with the defence ministry, its budgetary allocation is under the road ministry.

"While most of the work is going to be carried out by the road ministry," said Chibber, "work on some of the road stretches could be carried out by BRO. It would be dependent on the kind of dependency we have in that road stretch."

Road Minister Nitin Gadkari has stressed on constructing cemented highways, instead of bitumen ones. But how Bharat Mala will proceed in that regard remains to be seen. "Due to the lack of cement construction facilities at most border regions, there could be cost overruns if we embark on constructing cemented highways. We will have to see how things proceed," said the secretary.

Bharat Mala has economic and strategic significance. Strategically, it provides the armed forces easier access to the border areas. Trade possibilities with neighbouring countries via the land route also improve.