Defence Minister to inaugurate strategic bridge in eastern Ladakh next week

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to inaugurate the Col Chewang Rinchen Bridge built between Durbuk and Daulat Beg Oldie in eastern Ladakh on October 21.

The bridge will reduce travel time by about half and help in development of border areas and villages across Shyok River. It is 45 km east of Line of Actual Control with China; Army sources said.

The bridge built by the Border Roads Organisation can accommodate vehicles of 70 tonnes class and is 4.5 metres wide.

Col Chewang Rinchen was awarded Maha Vir Chakra in 1952.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to visit Leh next week to review the security situation in the region which shares borders with both China and Pakistan.

Rajnath Singh will visit Daulat Beg Oldie and other areas on the Line of Actual Control.

The visit is scheduled to take place at a time when the Indian Army carried out a major exercise codenamed 'Chang Thang' in the high altitude areas of the Ladakh region close to the China border.

During the exercise, India had deployed a large number of infantry troops along with frontline tank regiments which have been deployed there in recent years.

An armoured brigade has been deployed on the China border a few years ago after they were flown in the Indian Air Force's American-built C-17 Globemaster heavy-lift transport aircraft there.

Rajnath Singh has been travelling extensively to defence bases to get to know the working conditions of the troops and has even flown in fighter aircraft.

Ladakh, which will soon be a Union Territory, is a unique region as it shares its borders with China and Pakistan.

While on the one side is the Siachen-Kargil-Drass axis on the Pakistan front, it shares a long border with China on the eastern side.