Dantak | |
---|---|
Founded | 24 April 1961 |
Country | ![]() ![]() |
Type | Army, Engineering |
Role | Construction and maintenance of infrastructure in Bhutan and adjoining Indian Districts |
Size | 1200+ personnel (Indian Officials) |
Part of | Indian Armed Forces, Border Roads Organisation, Ministry of Defence [1] |
Headquarters | Simtokha, Thimphu, Bhutan |
Motto(s) | Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam [2] |
Anniversaries | BRO Day: 7 May Raising Day: 24 April |
Website | bro.gov.in |
Commanders | |
Director General | Lt. Gen. Raghu Srinivasan [3] |
Chief Engineer | Brigadier Rohit Gupta [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]
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]
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]
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]
Works | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|
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 Highway | Thimphu – Trashigang | Major Highway in Bhutan [25] [26] |
Damchu-Chukha Road | Damchu-Chukha | Major Road in Bhutan [27] |
India House Estate | Thimphu | The Indian Embassy in Bhutan [28] |
Thimphu is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan, and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's dzongkhags, the Thimphu District. The ancient capital city of Punakha was replaced by Thimphu as capital in 1955, and in 1961 Thimphu was declared as the capital of the Kingdom of Bhutan by the 3rd Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuck.
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.
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.
The Royal Bhutan Army is a branch of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Bhutan responsible for maintaining the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty against security threats. The Druk Gyalpo is the Supreme Commander in Chief of the RBA. The Chief Operations Officer is Goonglon Gongma Batoo Tshering.
Kuensel is the national newspaper of the Kingdom of Bhutan. It was the only local newspaper available in Bhutan until 2006 when two more newspapers were launched. The government of Bhutan owns 51% of Kuensel while 49% is held by the public.
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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