Shekatkar Committee recommendations related to creating border infrastructure

Centre has decided to implement three important recommendations of the Shekatkar Committee of Experts (CoE) headed by the Chairmanship of Lt General D B Shekatkar (Retd).

The recommendations are related to border Infrastructure like speeding up road construction, leading to socio-economic development in the border areas.

GoI has implemented the recommendation of CoE to outsource road construction work beyond the optimal capacity of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). As per the recommendation, Centre has made it mandatory to adopt Engineering Procurement Contract (EPC) mode for execution of all works costing more than Rs.100 crore.

GoI has decided to introduce modern construction equipment, plants, and machinery that have been implemented by delegating enhanced procurement powers from Rs.7.5 crore to Rs.100 crore to BRO, for domestic and foreign procurements.

BRO has been directed to use new technology like blasting technology for precision blasting, use of Geo-Textiles for soil stabilization, the cementitious base for pavements, plastic-coated aggregates for surfacing, to enhance the pace of construction.

It has also approved the land acquisition and all statutory clearances like forest and environmental clearance which are part of the approval of the Detailed Project Report (DPR).