The Aakhya Weekly #131 | Roads to Resilience: How Border Infrastructure Addresses India's Strategic Goals
In Focus: Tunnels of Power- How Roads Are Paving India's Strategic Future
by Swapneel Thakur
Source: FMT
As the nation celebrated the inauguration of the Sonamarg Tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir, the Prime Minister highlighted the significant strides in infrastructure development, stating, “From Jammu & Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, we are witnessing the construction of numerous world-class roads, tunnels, and bridges.”
The Sonamarg Tunnel, an engineering marvel, is a testament to this progress. Located in a region where harsh winters and heavy snowfall often render roads inaccessible for nearly six months, it offers a transformative solution to connectivity challenges. Alongside the upcoming Zojila Tunnel, it is poised to ensure year-round travel, bolster strategic connectivity, and foster regional development.
However, the most notable aspect is that these initiatives transcend the typical infrastructure advancements of a fast-growing economy. In September 2023 alone, the Defence Minister inaugurated over 90 infrastructure projects in remote border regions. Between 2014 and 2020, 14,450 meters of bridges and 4,764 kilometres of border roads were constructed. Building on this momentum, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved the construction of 2,280 kilometres of roads in the border areas of Rajasthan and Punjab in 2024, with an investment of ₹4,406 crore—accounting for nearly 30% of its total infrastructure investment.
This intensified focus on border infrastructure raises pertinent questions. While projects like Bharatmala aim to enhance connectivity across the country, does the development of border roads now take precedence over regional connectivity? Are geopolitical considerations, such as addressing the challenges posed by China and Pakistan, the primary drivers of this focus? These are some questions that this week’s piece seeks to explore and address.
The Geopolitics of Border Infrastructure
As a nation encircled by geopolitical quagmires, strategic factors consistently play a pivotal role. The success of any foreign policy hinges on striking a careful balance between fostering national development and strengthening international standing. While some may argue that Pakistan now poses a diminished threat due to its current political and financial instability, it is undeniable that the country remains a significant concern. Moreover, numerous anti-India vested groups and UN-designated terrorists and organisations continue to operate with impunity in Pakistan, whose end goal is to undermine India’s sovereignty and emergence as a regional power.
The puzzle for India, however, concerns the dynamics and developments concerning China. When our Prime Minister met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit on October 23rd, 2024, many experts saw it as a positive step towards easing the strained relationship between the two nations. However, China's decision to construct a hydropower dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River bordering Arunachal Pradesh, and its creation of new counties, some of which encroach upon Ladakh, rang alarm bells for security experts in New Delhi. These new counties, to be administered by Hotan Prefecture in the country's northwest, mark a strategic shift. China's efforts also include the construction and upgrading of roads near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), building underground missile silos, expanding airfields with blast pens, positioning fighter jets, constructing new railway lines, and establishing dual-use civilian-military villages. In addition, the completion of approximately 50 airstrips, airports, and helipads for quicker mobilisation of troops and materials further highlights the growing strategic presence in the region. Developments like these have often been a cause of concern for some decades, forcing India to rethink its strategic calculus. Furthermore, what was once considered strategic hedging a few years ago has evolved into a clear pursuit of strategic autonomy in recent years.
The Military Logistics
With a vast expanse of over a million miles, India ranks second globally for the longest road networks. In regions with mountainous and hilly terrains, such as Kashmir, alternative modes of transportation take longer to develop, however, roads equipped with year-round access tunnels offer a quicker infrastructure-building solution. They also serve as essential links between various points, acting as feeder roads that enhance overall connectivity. At a time when economic, foreign, and military policy autonomy is often discussed in strategic literature on India, infrastructure autonomy remains the hidden driver behind many of these interconnected interests. Ensuring connectivity alongside year-round access across its border regions is crucial for India as it aids strategic autonomy objectives, helping it navigate its position in contemporary geopolitics.
An Inclusive Effort Towards National Security
One might also question the economic significance of road infrastructure in border areas, beyond the geopolitical considerations. While urban centres have long been hubs for job seekers, rural areas are gradually experiencing a growth in employment opportunities. Moreover, border regions tend to be far more remote and significantly more rural compared to districts in the hinterland. For economic investments, border areas in Kashmir and the Northeast are predominantly perceived as tourist attractions rather than hubs for significant investment. With tourism contributing only 5% to the GDP, claiming that infrastructure development in these regions will substantially boost commuter traffic and attract large-scale investments in tourism in the short term might seem like an exaggeration. On the flip side, border regions have often been vulnerable to insurgencies, cross-border terrorism, and illicit activities like drug and human trafficking.
While India’s military and Border Security Force (BSF) are among the most effective globally in countering such threats and preventing terrorism, their efforts rely on the involvement of local communities for long-term success. Moreover, border areas are predominantly governed by the BSF under the BSF Act, rather than the regular state jurisdiction. This makes the cooperation and engagement of local populations indispensable for ensuring sustained stability and security.
To this end, a steady influx of investments, even if primarily centred on national security and tourism, holds the potential for transformation. Improved connectivity and infrastructure enable increased economic activity by linking remote regions to regional and national hubs. This drives financial growth and unlocks broader socio-economic opportunities, such as better access to education, healthcare, and markets. Enhanced livelihoods foster a resilient population that can actively contribute to law enforcement, support government initiatives, and participate in governance processes to bring normalcy to areas that otherwise experienced long periods of instability. Such engagement strengthens the social fabric of border communities, making them key partners in safeguarding national security while contributing to India’s strategic autonomy.
The Consideration
While initiatives like Bharatmala, one of India’s largest road infrastructure development initiatives, focus on enhancing connectivity nationwide, the increased investment in border infrastructure serves a deeper purpose in safeguarding the nation. Efforts to develop engineering marvels such as the Sonamarg Tunnel, Zoji La Tunnel, Atal Tunnel, Sela Tunnel, and the Frontier Highway, coupled with the significant rise in the Border Roads Organisation’s budget from ₹3,782 crore in 2013-14 to ₹14,387 crore in 2023-24, approach and address the strategic infrastructure challenge from multiple perspectives. With a belligerent China firming up infrastructure building across the Tibetan plateau, and a nefarious Pakistan continuing to sponsor terror activities across the Line of Control (LOC), bolstering India’s infrastructure autonomy as a policy priority, is an obvious choice. Last-mile connectivity or critical military objectives alike, India’s border infrastructure modernisation solves gaping inadequacies that obstructed it from advancing foreign policy, national security, and broader strategic goals in the past.
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