Ministry of Defence (MoD) has approved the setting up of wayside amenities at 75 locations in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, and Sikkim including 12 States on different sections of roads with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
These are intended to provide basic amenities & comfort to the tourists and lead to boosting of economic activities in border areas, besides generating employment for the local people. These wayside amenities will be branded as ‘BRO Cafes’.
The BRO has its reach in the remotest border areas and besides addressing strategic needs, it has been instrumental in the socio-economic upliftment of the Northern and Eastern borders. This has resulted in an increased tourist influx in these scenic locations, hitherto inaccessible.
In order to provide conducive and comfortable transit for tourists on these roads located under harsh climatic and geographical conditions, the need to establish multi-utility wayside amenities along with the major tourist circuits in these regions was recognized. Since the inaccessibility and remoteness of these roads preclude widespread commercial deployments, the BRO, by virtue of its presence, took it upon itself to open such facilities at remote places.
The scheme provides for the development and operation of wayside amenities in a public-private partnership mode with agencies, on license basis, which will design, build & operate the facility as per guidelines of BRO. Amenities like parking for two and four-wheelers, a food plaza/ restaurant, separate rest rooms for men, women, and differently-abled, first aid facilities/MI Rooms, etc. are proposed to be provided. The selection of licensees will be done through a competitive process.