Kasowal Enclave Permanently get Connected to India – Burning issues

Table of Contents

WHAT JUST HAPPENED

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed a permanent bridge on the Ravi river to connect Kasowal enclave in Punjab along the India – Pakistan border to the rest of the country.

The 484-meter bridge was built under the Project Chetak of BRO.
THE ISSUE
The Kasowal enclave of approximately 35 sq km had so far been connected to the rest of India by a pontoon bridge of limited load capacity which was dismantled every year prior to the monsoon, as it would get washed away by the Ravi river. This meant thousands of acres of fertile land across the river could not be utilized by the farmers in the monsoon.

KASOWAL ENCLAVE

As the land is very fertile, farmers on both sides are tilling right up to the international border. During the two wars of 1965 and 1971, this area saw major duels between the armies of India and Pakistan.
The local population and the Army by virtue of the sensitivity of the enclave required ba Class 70 permanent bridge to give all-weather connectivity.

IMPORTANCE OF THE KASOWAL ENCLAVE

A book titled `1971 War: Battle of Dera Baba Nanak’ by Maj Gen Sukhwant Singh, describes Dera Baba Nanak (DBN) as a small town which lies about 30 miles north of Amritsar and south of the Ravi. In the book the author says that there are two strategically important enclaves on the north and south of the Ravi and they belong to India and Pakistan respectively. On the Indian side the enclave is called Kasowal, and the one in Pakistan is known as Jassar or DBN. Operations can be launched against the Jassar or Narowal fortress from Kasowal Enclave which provides a sizable bridgehead across the Ravi.

BRO – PROJECT CHETAK

The BRO was formed on 7 May 1960 to develop infrastructure in remote areas of the north and northeast states to secure India’s borders. The BRO operates 18 projects, namely Arunank, Beacon, Brahmank, Chetak, Deepak, Dantak, Himank, Hirak, Pushpak, Sampark, Setuk, Sewak, Shivalik, Swastik, Udayak, Vartak, Vijayak and Sela tunnel.