Border Roads Organisation: BRO gets Guinness recognition for building highest Motorable Road

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Border Roads Organisation (BRO)- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 2: Indian Constitution- Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Ministries and Departments of the Government.

Border Roads Organisation (BRO) received the Guinness World Records certificate for the achievement of constructing and black topping the world’s highest motorable road at 19,024 feet at Umlingla Pass in Ladakh.
- In a four-month-long process undertaken by the Guinness World Records, five different surveyors verified the claim.

Umlingla Pass Road: The 52-kilometre long Chisumle to Demchok tarmac road passes through the 19,024 feet high Umlingla Pass- the world’s highest Motorable Road.
Previous Record: The Umlingla Pass road betters the previous Guinness record of a road in Bolivia, which connects volcano Uturuncu at 18,953 feet.
In India, the Umlingla Pass road has been constructed at an altitude higher than the North and South Base Camps of Mount Everest which are at an altitude of 16,900 feet and 17,598 feet respectively.
Significance: The BRO provided a blacktopped road to the important village of Demchok in Eastern Ladakh that will be a boon to the local population of the region as it will enhance the socio-economic conditions and promote tourism in Ladakh.

BRO Founding: BRO was formed on May 7, 1960, with a mission to maintain and develop the Indian remote areas of north and northeast situated near the borders.
- BRO Raising day is observed on May 7, every year.
About: Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is a modern and transnational construction organization that is committed to meeting the strategic requirements of the Indian armed forces.
- Border Roads Organisation (BRO) plays an important role in upscaling infrastructural development in border areas.
Parent Ministry: BRO initially functioned under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. But since 2015, it is working under the overall administrative control of the Ministry of Defence.
BRO Functionaries: Officers from the Border Roads Engineering Service (BRES) and personnel from the General Reserve Engineer Force (BRO GREF) form the parent cadre of the BRO.
- The Indian Army Pioneer Corps are attached to BRO task forces.
- BRO is also included in the Order of Battle of the Armed Forces, ensuring their support at any time.