The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on Tuesday achieved breakthrough for the 2.79 km-long Sungal Tunnel on the strategic Akhnoor (Jammu district) – Poonch highway that links the militarily sensitive areas along the Line of Control (LoC) with the Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK).

A defence spokesman said that the construction of the pivotal infrastructure project National Highway 144A connecting Akhnoor to Poonch reached a significant milestone as the breakthrough ceremony for the Sungal Tunnel took place. The tunnel spanning an impressive 2,790 meters is a crucial link connecting Akhnoor and Poonch.

Director General Border Roads (DGBR) Lt General Raghu Srinivasan reviewed the breakthrough ceremony, which signifies a major breakthrough in construction activity of the tunnel. The breakthrough underscores the importance of this project signifying a major step forward in enhancing regional connectivity and facilitating smoother transportation along the National Highway.

Akhnoor-Poonch, “The Golden Arc Road” is a very old and highly strategic 200 Km stretch which connects South Kashmir and Jammu region to the West of Jammu & Kashmir. It connects important border districts of Akhnoor, Rajouri and Poonch. There are four major tunnels in this stretch viz Kandi Tunnel, Sungal Tunnel, Naushera Tunnel and Bhimber Gali Tunnel.

This year on 28 January, breakthrough of Naushera Tunnel was achieved signifying the efforts of BRO towards providing connectivity across the areas of Rajouri and Poonch. The progress of National Highway has taken pace and the project is expected to be completed by 2026.

During his address, DGBR Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan mentioned that BRO was spearheading crucial road projects to connect remote areas with major centres in the Jammu-Poonch region. The Jammu-Poonch link, advancing rapidly, is on track for completion in the next few years.

On being asked about defence infrastructure along LoC, the DGBR mentioned that development of Defence Infrastructure is a continuous process and Border Roads Organisation is committed towards strengthening it by building and upgrading strategic roads all along the international border, LoC and Line of Actual Control (LAC).

BRO and Project Sampark is steadfast in its commitment to “Create, Connect, Care” and save lives of the citizens of its area of responsibility. It believes in the adage “Roads Build Nation” and rededicated itself to the construction of border roads infrastructures to spur socio-economic progress.