Initiated by Border Roads Organisation

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today inaugurated the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Tourism portal aimed at promoting tourism in border areas. The user-friendly website (https://marvels.bro.gov.in) will facilitate e-booking of guided tours to the road infrastructure projects constructed by the BRO. In the initial phase, only e-Booking for a guided tour to Atal Tunnel, Rohtang will be available through the portal. Soon, infrastructure projects in Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh etc. will be included for guided tours. The world’s highest motorable road at Umling La Pass, state-of-the-art bi-lane Sela Tunnel and Nechiphu Tunnel are among the projects which will be included. The first ticket from the website was presented to the defence minister by Director General Border Roads (DGBR) Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry on the occasion.

In his address, Rajnath appreciated the efforts of the BRO in developing the portal and exuded confidence that the website will go a long way in boosting tourism in far-flung areas. The website contains photo and video galleries of tourist destinations and local flora and fauna, besides providing information about the BRO, the nature of works it has executed in border states and the challenges faced. It also hosts technical information related to construction for those working in the field of civil engineering, especially students and academia. The minister said that in the coming times, it will be the most accessible and reliable source of information about the history and importance of the projects executed by the BRO and will provide a peek into the upcoming projects as well.

He commended the BRO for playing an incomparable role in promoting tourism in these areas, saying that after the construction of the Atal Tunnel, the number of tourists in that area increased six times. He made special mention of the setting up of BRO Cafes at 75 places in far-flung areas, expressing confidence that these cafes will provide basic amenities to the travellers, promote tourism in remote areas and strengthen the local economy. By Gour Kanjilal