BORDER ROADS ORGANISATION

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1
In 1960, an urgent need for a single executive body for road
development in the remote North and North Eastern Regions of the country
was strongly felt. Thus on 29 March 1960, the Border Roads Development
Board (BRDB) as an inter-ministerial body with the status of a department was
set up, under the Chairmanship of the then Prime Minister, Late Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru, to co-ordinate an economically viable plan for expeditious
execution of roads and other development Projects, aimed primarily at
enhancing the Defence potential of the country and at the same time
accelerating the socio-economic development of the North and North Eastern
Border States. Thus, Border Roads Development Board (BRDB) came into
existence in March 1960 and the Force named General Reserve Engineer
Force (GREF) was raised on 16 Jun 1960. The Director General Border
Roads (DGBR) is the field arm of the Border Roads Development Board
(BRDB).
1.2
GREF is a unique force, conceived as a non-combatant, civilian
organisation as per Article 33 of theConstitution but moulded and framed on
the military pattern. This unique civil force in uniform was subjected to
the CCS (CC&A) Rules 1955. Further the Govt of India in exercise of the
powers conferred upon by sub section (1) and (4) of section 4 of the Army Act
1950, issued two notifications bearing SRO329 & 330, making various
provisions of Army Act 1950applicable to GREF.
1.3
According to Ministry of Defence gazette notification No. 6E (Army
Order No. 517/62 applicable to GREF also) all persons subject to Army Act,
shall wherever they may be serving, be deemed to be in active service with in
the meaning of section 9 of Army Act read in conjunction with clause (i) of
section (3) of the Army Act.
1.4
According to the Army Headquarters, a minimum of 17 Border
Roads
Task
Forces
and
34
GREF
Pioneer
Companies
are permanently required for providing engineer support to the Army and over
the years, this minimum requirement has been fulfilled and 17 Border Roads
Task Forces and 34 GREF Pioneer Companies have been made permanent.
These 17 Border Roads Task Forces and 34 Pioneer Companies have to be
maintained as essential units of GREF for meeting theoperational
requirement of the Army, even if sufficient workload is not available in Border
Areas at any given point of time.

2. STATUS OF GREF PERSONNEL AS DEFINED BY THE HONBLE

SUPREME COURT
2.1
Notwithstanding the extreme sacrifices made by the GREF
Personnel, there was remarkable confusion on the status of GREF Personnel,
which created uproar among the cadre and took the form of an agitation in
1979. This ultimately led to various court cases in different Courts of Law.
2.2
Honble Supreme Court of India in a landmark Judgment on 06 May
1983 on the writ petition filed by R Vishwan and others Vs UOI and others
came to the conclusion that GREF or GENERAL RESERVE ENGINEER
FORCE is an integral part of Armed Forces. Accordingly, the President of
India was pleased to declare GENERAL RESERVE ENGINEER FORCE as
an Integral Part of Armed Forces of India vide Government of India Min of
Shipping and Transport, BRDB letter No. F.81 (I)/64-Estt/70463/DGBR/E2A
(T&C) dated 14 Aug 1985.
3.

ORGANISATIONAL SETUP

3.1
Border Roads Development Board is an apex body which
formulates policies, programmes, priorities, and reviews functioning of
Projects etc. Till 1991 Prime Minister and Defence Minster were the
Chairman and Dy. Chairman respectively and thereafter Raksha Mantri was
appointed as the Chairman of the Board. Recently in the year 2002, the
composition of the Border Roads Development Board was reconstituted
and Rajya Raksha Mantri (RRM) has been appointed as the Chairman of the
Board and the members of the Board are
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.

Minister of Roads, Highways & Transport,

Cabinet Secretary,
Defense Secretary,
Secretary Ministry of Home Affairs,
Secretary Ministry of External Affairs,
Secretary Planning Commission,
Secretary Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highway,
Chief of Army Staff,
Sectt BRDB,
E-in-C,
DGBR,
DG (RD) and
FA (DS).

3.2
The Board exercises the financial and other powers of a Department
of the Govt of India. Sanctions of the Board are promulgated by the Sectt
BRDB which is headed by a Secretary, an ex-officio status of a secretary
under Ministry of Surface Transport. Director General Border Roads is the
executive head of GREF, who is responsible for execution of various works,
projects as approved by the Board. Director General Border Roads (DGBR) is
presently an Army Officer of the Rank of Lt General.
3.3
Initially GREF started functioning with two Projects namely Project
Tusker (renamed Project Vartak) in the East at Tezpur and Project Beacon in
the West at Srinagar. BRO grew within a short period of three years to seven
projects due to the overwhelming response and result oriented functioning.
Producing quality work with speed has been the hallmark of GREF despite
adverse conditions of the working in remote areas, economically backward
tribal regions, high snow clad mountains, impenetrable rain forests, scorching
deserts, insurgency infested, stifle torn areas. Later on, additional work, not
only from the Army but also from other central government Ministries, State
Government and Public Sector Undertakings were entrusted to the BRO. In
addition, BRO has been entrusted for prestigious works in Guyana, Iraq,
Yemen, Bhutan, and Myanmar and recently in Afghanistan and Kazakhstan.
3.4
In the last four decades, BRO has grown manifolds from strength to
strength to become a vast and most vibrant disciplined organisation with
thirteen Chief Engineer Projects spread across the length and breadth of the
country.
3.5
Each Project is headed by a GREF Officer of the rank of Chief
Engineer or a Brigadier from the Corps of Engineers, a task force commanded
by a Superintending Engineer or a Colonel, Road Constr Company
(RCC)/Bridge Constr Company (BCC) commanded by Executive Engineer
(Civil) / Major and Functional Platoon by an Asst Executive Engineer/Asst
Engineer or Captain.
3.6
At present, the Border Roads Organisation employs
approximately 70,000 casual paid labourers over and above about 40000
GREF personnel. Over the years, the Border Roads Organisation has
diversified from road construction to flyovers, permanent bridge, airfields, and
major building projects like schools, hospitals, and cantonments etc, defence
works and in a modest way to allied works for tunneling projects not only in
India but outside the country also.

4.

ROLE/FUNCTION OF GENERAL RESERVE ENGINEER FORCE

(GREF)

4.1
The Government of India has laid down the role of Border Roads
Organisation in terms of peace and emergency/war as following:(a)

Role of GREF in peace

To develop and maintain the operational road infrastructure of General Staff

(GS) in the Border areas.
(b)

Role of GREF in war

(i)
To develop and maintain roads to keep line of control through in
original sectors and redeployed sectors.
(ii) To execute additional tasks as laid down by the government
contributing to the war effect.

4.2
During operations and emergencies, GREF, apart from the basic role
of development/ maintenance of roads to keep the line of communication
through at all times, also carries out the following tasks, generally entrusted by
the COAS/Army Commanders:

(a) Construction/Maintenance of advance landing grounds/helipads

and helidromes.
(b)
Handling of stores in advance maintenance area, corps
maintenance area and Engineers Stores dumps.
(c)

Construction of Bailey Bridges.

d) DCB filling schemes, flooding schemes and repair/maintenance of

canals.
(e)To assist Army Engineers in construction of under ground Command
and Control Centers of formation Head Quarters in India or in enemy
territory as required.
4.3
The works executed by the GREF are divided into two broad
categories:-

(a) General Staff Works:

The works, which GREF executes as
per the requirements of the Military operations Directorate of Army
Headquarters (MO Dte) are called General Staff (GS) works. These
works are based on a ten year General Staff Road Perspective Plan
finalised by the MO Dte, in consultation with Command Headquarters.
Execution of GS Works is the primary task of the GREF
(b) Agency/Deposit Works: Works other than General Staff, which
are carried out for the several Ministries of Central Govt are the Agency
Works. The works of Public Sector Undertakings, State Government
and some Semi-Government Organisations are called Deposit works.
GREF is also called upon to carry out operational works for Army
Formations. These operational works are also categorised as Agency
Works.
4.4
Snow Clearance: GREF also performs snow clearance activities
in snow clad mountains in high altitude areas during summer and winter
seasons. The timely completion of the summer snow clearance of the
Srinagar Zojila Leh and the Manali Sarchu Leh axes and its
maintenance throughout the year, contributed to the triumph of Armed Forces
in the Operation Vijay in 1999. This unrelenting and persistent activity was
also extended to several other operationally vital road sectors in the forward
areas, thus permitting quick and timely redeployment of forces by the Army.
The maintenance of road communications continued throughout the Kargil
operations.
4.5
OP Deployment: GREF also contributed significantly to support
the Army during 1965, 1971 wars and inOP PAWAN during IPKF operation in
Sri Lanka similar to the Kargil conflict. During 1965 and 1971 wars, a number
of BRO Task Forces and units were placed under command of Army to fulfill
the technical and engineering requirements of the Army. This proves that in
the event of outbreak of any hostility or war, the GREF buts are made
available in lieu of equivalent Army Engineer Regiments and PNR Coys. Thus
it is amply evident that the GREF is exposed to war risks like Armed Forces.
5.
DIFFICULTIES EXPERIENCED
CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS

BY

BRO

PERSONNEL

IN

5.1
GREF personnel are deployed successfully in remote/in-accessible
areas, high altitude mountains, insurgency infested regions, stifle torn sectors,
mafia pockets, harsh & uncongenial climatic and ground conditions in
inhospitable terrain in the far-flung and secluded borders, where adequate
schooling, communication and medical facilities are not available. Due to this
characteristic and inherent working condition, most of the BRO personnel are

devoid of basic civic amenities during their entire service apart from a sense of
seclusion/isolation.
5.2
GREF Personnel operational in hostile and insurgency prone areas
like Jammu & Kashmir, N-E region, Chattishgarh and outside India in
Afghanistan, Kazakhstan etc without adequate security cover and
remuneration is just another leaf in the chapter of GREF.
5.3
GREF personnel are deployed for road maintenance works in High
Altitude areas where temperature dips to sub-zero levels (40o C) with heavy
snow fall, snow blizzards, snow avalanches and rarified atmosphere. This
affects efficiency of both man and machinery besides affecting health
adversely. This deployment in a rarified atmosphere with extremely low levels
of oxygen roots High Altitude Area induced diseases like pulmonary oedema,
blood pressure, heart problems, snow blindness and serious skin diseases
sometimes causing permanent harm.
5.4
GREF personnel are functional in harsh, uncongenial, hostile and
insurgency prone areas continuously for a longer duration without being
rewarded for the harsh conditions as considered for the Armed Forces.
5.5
The frequent deployment of GREF personnel in extremely cold,
inhospitable and uncongenial environment without having proper shelter and
clothing at all the places invites special appreciation from the Government.
5.6
The above issues have also been examined by the departmental
related "Parliament Standing Committee" under Chairmanship of Hon'ble
Member Shri KHAGEN DAS which presented fifty fourth report on 12 Dec
2001 in theRajya Sabha on functioning of GREF and it was also laid on floor
of the Lok Sabha on 12 Dec 2001. Standing Parliament Committee also
noted with concern, problems of GREF personnel and recommended that the
Govt should on priority basis review their stand on the pending
recommendations ofHigh level committee and Parliament Standing
Committeekeeping in view the difficulties faced by the BRO personnel. The
extracts from the report of fifty fourth report of the above said Parliament
Committee for the pathetic condition of the GREF personnel noted by the
Honble Members of the Committee with great concern are reproduced
below which needs no further explanation why GREF Personnel are deprived
from the legitimate benefits/entitlements:-

The committee is aware of the fact that Border Roads Organisation

personnel have to work under harsh and rough climatic conditions in
hostile remote areas of borders. Sometime their lives are in danger or in
miserable conditions. However, the concessions and facilities extended
to these personnel are not adequate. It is pity that since inception
GREF has not been paid any special attention to make the service
conditions attractive in comparison to that of other Government
departments as a result of which number of vacancies have remained
unfilled coupled with frequent resignations in category of officers in
GREF.
6.

SACRIFICES BY GREF PERSONNEL

6.1
The ultimate sacrifice of life made by GREF personnel in the
line of duty is paramount. An average of 420 GREF personnel and CPL die
every year according to the statistics provided by Head of the Department
which reflects that around 20,000 (46 x 420 = 19320) people have lost their
lives in this magnificent cause of nation building during the last 46
years. These casualties have occurred mostly during peacetime activities.
One cannot imagine that even the Army can stand for this kind of unparallel
sacrifice and certainly there is no other department in India, which can match
GREF in this regard when it comes to devotion to duty.
6.2
The true nature of the extreme sacrifices being made by GREF
Personnel will be known only when we understand their hard work and
dedication in keeping road communication through during heavy snowfall in
Himalayan belts, torrential rains in North East and during the time when the
Mercury touches its peak in the deserts of Rajasthan. Undertaking works in
Insurgency Prone areas of North East and J&K is an added hazard being
faced by the GREF Personnel. GREF is working in many places where we are
totally dependent on Air dropping facility for transporting equipments and food
items as well as manpower.
6.3
The gruesome killing of a dutiful GREF soldier MT/Driver
Maniappan Kutty in Nov 2005 while working at Zaranj in Afghanistan for an
Indo-Afghan Peace Project undertaken by GREF is an instance of the
sacrifices made by the brave GREF personnel since 1960. The Honble Prime
Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh described Late Shri Maniappan Kutty
as a SOLDIER OF PEACE in his landmark speech in the august house of
Parliament.