Project Dantak

Last updated

Dantak
Project Dantak.gif
Founded24 April 1961;62 years ago (1961-04-24)
CountryFlag of India.svg  India Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan
Type Army, Engineering
RoleConstruction and maintenance of infrastructure in Bhutan and adjoining Indian Districts
Size1200+ personnel (Indian Officials)
Part of Indian Armed Forces, Border Roads Organisation, Ministry of Defence [1]
Headquarters Simtokha, Thimpu, Bhutan
Motto(s)Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam [2]
AnniversariesBRO Day: 7 May
Raising Day: 24 April
Website bro.gov.in
Commanders
Director General Lt. Gen. Raghu Srinivasan [3]
Chief Engineer Brigadier Jaswinder Singh [4]

Dantak, also known as Project DANTAK, is an overseas project of the Border Roads Organisation under the Ministry of Defence of India. Project DANTAK was established on 24 April 1961 as a result of an agreement between Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, the third king of Bhutan and then Prime Minister of India Jawahar Lal Nehru. [5] Colonel T.V. Jaganathan was appointed as the first Chief Engineer of DANTAK. [6] The project is involved in identifying the most important aspects of connectivity and in spurring the socio-economic development and growth of Bhutan, [7] It is tasked to construct and maintain roads suitable for motorised transportation in Bhutan. [8] and was established under the provision of the Indo-Bhutan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, 1949. [9] [10] [11]

Contents

Works and involvement

The project also constructs infrastructure in adjoining Indian districts, some of the important ones include Sherbathang–Nathu La road, Gangtok–Sherbathang road and Sevoke–Gangtok road. [12] [13]

The medical and education facilities established by DANTAK in outlying areas were the first in those regions. The Takthi Canteen, commonly known as the DANTAK canteen midway between Phuentsholing and Thimphu is a major stop for travelers. [14] [15]

The project recruits local workers from Bhutan as well as Indian workers from adjoining districts like Jaigaon, Alipurduar and other parts of Eastern and North-Eastern India under a basic monthly wage. It posts officials from India for the supervision of work. [16]

In 2022, Dantak resurfaced 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) of the Phuentsholing-Thimphu Road with shredded plastic as part of a special campaign to conduct trials of using recycled plastic in road construction. [17]

Controversies and incidents

Tricolour themed reflectors

The Bhutanese Government said that DANTAK has installed Indian tricolour themed raised pavement marker or reflectors on the highway railings. After DANTAK confirmed their presence, those reflectors were immediately replaced. Later, the Chief Engineer of DANTAK stated that no tricolour themed reflectors were sanctioned to be installed and ground labourers had installed those reflectors enthusiastically. [18]

Wangchhu bridge collapse

A 204 metres long bridge in Haa along the Damchu-Haa road [19] collapsed in February 2021, leaving 3 workers dead and 6 missing. The bridge was pending load testing when the incident happened. [20] The bridge was handed over to Project DANTAK by the contractor. Rescue operations were initiated but were soon ceased due to low visibility and risk from the fragile structures. [21] [22]

Major works

WorksLocationNotes
Paro Airport Paro Built in 1968 as an airstrip for on-call helicopter services for the Indian Armed Forces. Now used as an international airport. [23]
Yonphula Airfield Near Trashigang Domestic Airport in Bhutan [24]
Thimphu – Trashigang HighwayThimphu – TrashigangMajor Highway in Bhutan [25] [26]
Damchu-Chukha RoadDamchu-ChukhaMajor Road in Bhutan [27]
India House Estate Thimpu The Indian Embassy in Bhutan [28]

Related Research Articles

Transport in Bhutan uses about 8,000 kilometres (5,000 mi) of roads and four airports, three of which are operational and interconnected. Paro Airport is the only airport which accommodates international flights. As part of Bhutan's infrastructure modernization programs, its road system has been under development since the 1960s. There are no railways, and as Bhutan is a landlocked country with no major waterways, there are no ports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haa District</span> District of Bhutan

Haa District is one of the 20 dzongkhag or districts comprising Bhutan. An alternative name for the district is "Hidden-Land Rice Valley." It the second least-populated dzongkhag in the country after Gasa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chukha District</span> District of Bhutan

Chukha District is one of the 20 dzongkhag (districts) comprising Bhutan. The major town is Phuentsholing which is the gateway city along the sole road which connects India to western Bhutan. Chukha is the commercial and the financial capital of Bhutan. With Bhutan's oldest hydropower plant, Chukha hydel, and Tala Hydroelectricity Project, the country's largest power plant, Chukha is the dzongkhag which contributes the most to the GDP of the country. Also located in Chukha district are some of the country's oldest industrial companies like the Bhutan Carbide Chemical Limited (BCCL) and the Bhutan Boards Products Limited (BBPL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Bhutan Army</span> Land warfare branch of Bhutans military forces

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Border Roads Organisation</span> Statutory Body

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India. BRO develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly neighboring countries. This includes infrastructure operations in 19 states and three union territories and neighboring countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Tajikistan and Sri Lanka. By 2022, BRO had constructed over 55,000 kilometres (34,000 mi) of roads, over 450 permanent bridges with a total length of over 44,000 metres (27 mi) length and 19 airfields in strategic locations. BRO is also tasked with maintaining this infrastructure including operations such as snow clearance.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhutan</span> Country in South Asia

Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia situated in the Eastern Himalayas between China in the north and India in the south. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of 38,394 square kilometres (14,824 sq mi), Bhutan ranks 133rd in land area and 160th in population. Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy with a king as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of government. Vajrayana Buddhism is the state religion and the Je Khenpo is the head of the state religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phuntsholing</span> Thromde in Chukha District, Bhutan

Phuntsholing, also spelled as Phuentsholing, is a border town in southern Bhutan and is the administrative seat of Chukha District. The town occupies parts of both Phuentsholing Gewog and Sampheling Gewog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck</span> Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan since 2006

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Jaigaon is a census town in Alipurduar subdivision under Kalchini Block of Alipurduar district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is located on the country's border with Bhutan, and Bhutan Gate separates the two countries. Phuentsholing is the Bhutan's nearest city to Jaigaon. Bhutan does not have domestic roads linking all its towns, so it uses roads passing through Jaigaon to reach destinations such as Samtse, Gomtu, Nganglam and Samdrup Jongkhar.

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References

  1. "Other Organisation | Department Of Defence". www.mod.gov.in. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  2. "Border Roads Organisation". www.bro.nic.in. Archived from the original on 21 September 2010.
  3. "Lt General Raghu Srinivasan assumes charge as Border Roads Organisation chief". India Today. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  4. "Project DANTAK completes 60 years in Bhutan". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  5. "Treaty or Perpetual Peace and Friendship". mea.gov.in. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  6. "Project Dantak". INSIGHTSIAS. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
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  8. "National Assembly of Bhutan". nab.gov.bt. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
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  10. Yangchen C Rinzin. "Project DANTAK reports one percent progress a month on projects". Kuensel Online. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  11. "Project Dantak". Drishti IAS. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  12. "India's Border Roads Organisation Completes Strategic Road In Bhutan". NDTV.com. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  13. "Chhukha-Damchhu highway would be operational by the end of 2015". The Bhutanese. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  14. "Dosa is the new entry". The Times of India. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  15. "Jalebi, Dosa & Samosa: How 'Dantak' Is Strengthening India's Friendship with Bhutan". The Better India. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  16. "Project Dantak finds almost no local workers to fill in vacancies". The Bhutanese. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  17. "Shredded plastic paves the way on India's borders, BRO carries out trials on roads". Moneycontrol. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  18. "Dantak replaces 'tri-color' reflectors from road safety barriers". The Bhutanese. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  19. "Wangchu bridge collapses: three dead, six missing". Kuensel Online. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  20. "Load Testing of Bridges: Current Practice and Diagnostic Load Testing". Routledge & CRC Press. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  21. "Wangchhu bridge tragedy: An account of an eyewitness". Kuensel Online. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  22. "New Damchu-Haa highway bridge collapses". Kuensel Online. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  23. "Paro Airport: the major air hub linking Bhutan to the outside world". Tibet Travel and Tours - Tibet Vista. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  24. "Project DANTAK completes 60 years in Bhutan". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  25. "Road Classification System in Bhutan" (PDF). Ministry of Works and Human Settlement. 1 June 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  26. "DANTAK looks at completing Trashigang–Samdrupjongkhar roadwork by 2022". Kuensel Online. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  27. "India's Border Roads Organisation Completes Strategic Road In Bhutan". NDTV.com. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  28. "Indian embassy in Bhutan reflects shades of Tricolour on eve of Independence Day". ANI News. Retrieved 17 October 2021.