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Defence & Security

Border Roads Organisation (BRO)

The Ministry of Defence road-building agency behind India's high-altitude roads and tunnels such as Atal, Sela and Shinku La, often asked about in defence and infrastructure questions.

Pareto Academy · updated 26 October 2026

At a glance

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) builds and maintains roads, bridges, tunnels and airfields in border and difficult areas, mainly for the armed forces' needs, and also in friendly neighbouring countries. It is under the Ministry of Defence. Its staff come from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) and officers and men of the Army's Corps of Engineers.

Key facts

  • Raised: 7 May 1960
  • Ministry: Defence (fully since 2015; earlier partly funded through the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways)
  • Head: Director General Border Roads, Lt Gen Harpal Singh (29th DG)
  • Manpower: General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) plus Army engineer officers
  • Motto: "Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam" (everything is achievable through hard work)
  • Roads built since 1960: over 64,000 km
  • Atal Tunnel (Rohtang, Himachal Pradesh): 9.02 km, opened 3 October 2020
  • Sela Tunnel (Arunachal Pradesh): about 13,000 ft, opened 9 March 2024, all-weather link to Tawang
  • Umling La road (Ladakh): 19,024 ft, Guinness record in 2021 as the highest motorable road
  • Mig La road (Ladakh): about 19,400 ft, completed 2025, now the highest motorable road
  • Shinku La tunnel (Himachal–Ladakh): about 4.1 km at about 16,580 ft, due around 2028; will be the world's highest tunnel of its kind

How it works

Projects. BRO works through named "Projects", each covering a region. Examples:

Project Area
Vartak Arunachal Pradesh (began in 1960 as Project Tusker)
Himank Ladakh
Swastik Sikkim
Dantak Bhutan (BRO's first project abroad, 1961)

Why it matters. BRO roads and tunnels give the Army year-round access to forward areas along the borders with China and Pakistan. Tunnels such as Atal, Sela and Shinku La let traffic avoid high passes that close in winter. The roads also open remote valleys to tourism and trade.

Who builds what. Not every border tunnel is BRO's. The Zojila tunnel (Srinagar–Leh) is being built by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), not BRO.

Timeline

  • 1960: BRO raised (7 May); Project Tusker (later Vartak) and Project Beacon among the first
  • 1961: Project Dantak in Bhutan
  • 2015: fully under the Ministry of Defence
  • 2020: Atal Tunnel opened
  • 2021: Umling La road enters the Guinness book
  • 2024: Sela Tunnel opened
  • 2025: Mig La road completed; Lt Gen Harpal Singh becomes DG around the turn of 2026

Recent developments

  • 15 Oct 2026: PM Narendra Modi inaugurated projects in Ladakh worth about ₹3,350 crore, including the 298 km Nimmu–Padum–Darcha road built by BRO through the Zanskar Valley, alongside a new terminal at Leh's Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport.

Exam traps

  • BRO is under the Ministry of Defence, not the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
  • Atal Tunnel is under the Rohtang Pass (Himachal); Sela Tunnel is in Arunachal; Shinku La links Himachal and Ladakh.
  • The highest motorable road record moved from Umling La (2021) to Mig La (2025).
  • Zojila tunnel is NHIDCL's work, not BRO's.
  • BRO was raised in 1960, two years before the 1962 war.

Quick check

  • Q: In which year was the BRO raised? A: 1960.
  • Q: How long is the Atal Tunnel? A: 9.02 km.
  • Q: Which BRO project works in Bhutan? A: Project Dantak.

Further reading

Sources

In the news

Every time this topic has appeared in our current affairs, newest first:

  1. Week of 15–21 October 2026PM inaugurates ₹3,350 crore of projects in Ladakh, including a new Leh airport terminal