**Executive Summary**
Project DANTAK of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) celebrated its 66th Raising Day on April 24, 2026, in Thimphu, Bhutan, marking 65 years of infrastructure development since 1961. The event reaffirmed the bilateral partnership between India and Bhutan, highlighting over 1,500 km of road construction and critical national infrastructure projects. The report underscores the project’s role in Bhutan's socio-economic transformation and its alignment with future developmental and environmental priorities.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Historical Significance and Infrastructure Legacy**
* Established in April 1961, Project DANTAK constructed Bhutan’s first motorable road.
* The project has completed over 1,500 km of roads, including the East–West Highway and the Phuentsholing–Thimphu Highway.
* Major aviation and institutional contributions include Paro International Airport, Yongphula Airport, telecommunications networks, hospitals, and schools.
**Recent Developments and Modernisation**
* Inaugurated Phase I of the Confluence–Haa double-laning project on August 1, 2025.
* Improved travel safety and connectivity via the 168-kilometre Samdrup Jongkhar–Trashigang highway.
* Demonstrated emergency resilience by restoring connectivity during major landslides and road washouts in record time.
**Ongoing and Strategic Projects**
* Executing road upgradation in the South-Eastern regions, including Nganglam–Dewathang and Samrang–Jomotsangkha.
* Strengthening highways on the Damchu–Chhukha axis and developing alternate alignments in Panbang–Nganglam and Dewathang–Samdrupcholing.
* Ensuring all initiatives remain aligned with Bhutan’s environmental sensitivities and developmental priorities.
**Diplomatic and Community Engagement**
* Raising Day events included an inter-school quiz in Thimphu and tributes to personnel who died in the line of duty.
* The Prime Minister of India’s visit on November 11, 2025, reaffirmed the commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation through Project DANTAK’s work.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: The Kingdom and Citizens of Bhutan**
**Impact**
Project DANTAK has driven socio-economic transformation by providing essential connectivity, healthcare, and educational infrastructure. Recent road modernisations have significantly reduced travel time and improved safety for the local population.
**Action Required**
Continue collaborating with Project DANTAK to identify and align infrastructure needs with national developmental priorities and environmental standards.
**Stakeholder: Border Roads Organisation (BRO) / Project DANTAK Personnel**
**Impact**
The organisation is recognized for 65 years of service and professional excellence. Personnel are tasked with maintaining high-speed restoration of infrastructure during natural calamities.
**Action Required**
Execute ongoing strategically important works in South-Eastern Bhutan and maintain the scheduled upgrades of highways and bridges.
**Stakeholder: Governments of India and Bhutan**
**Impact**
The project serves as a cornerstone of the bilateral relationship, reflecting mutual progress and shared strategic interests.
**Action Required**
Maintain the commitment to bilateral cooperation as reaffirmed during the high-level diplomatic visit in November 2025.
Key Entities Referenced
Project DANTAK: A long-standing initiative of the Border Roads Organisation focused on developing critical infrastructure, connectivity, and socio-economic transformation in Bhutan.
Border Roads Organisation (BRO): The primary organization under the Ministry of Defence responsible for executing strategic infrastructure projects like Project DANTAK.
Bhutan: The sovereign nation that serves as the central location for Project DANTAK’s infrastructure development and bilateral partnership activities.
Ministry of Defence: The primary Indian government ministry overseeing the Border Roads Organisation and its international infrastructure projects.
Narendra Modi: The Prime Minister of India, whose diplomatic engagement reaffirms the bilateral cooperation and strategic importance of Project DANTAK in Bhutan.
Ministry of Defence
Project DANTAK of Border Road Organisation
Celebrates 66th Raising Day in Bhutan
Posted On: 24 APR 2026 4:18PM by PIB Delhi
Project DANTAK of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) celebrated its 66th Raising Day on
April 24, 2026, at Thimphu, Bhutan, marking 65 years of dedicated service in the Kingdom
since its establishment in April 1961. The occasion reaffirmed the enduring commitment
towards strengthening the partnership between India and Bhutan.The Raising Day celebrations
are being marked by a series of events reflecting both professional excellence and community
engagement. These include an inter-school quiz competition held in Thimpu, felicitation of
distinguished personnel and a solemn tribute to those who made the supreme sacrifice in the
line of duty.
From constructing Bhutan’s first motorable road to developing critical national infrastructure,
Project DANTAK has evolved into a cornerstone of connectivity and development across the
country and played a pivotal role in Bhutan’s socio-economic transformation. Under this
Project, over 1,500 km of road has been contructed, including the strategically vital East–West
Highway connecting Trashigang to Thimphu. It has been instrumental in building the
Phuentsholing–Thimphu Highway, the Paro International Airport and the Yongphula Airport. It
has also contributed extensively to the development of bridges, hydropower infrastructure,
telecommunications networks, hospitals, schools and other vital institutional facilities across
Bhutan.In recent years, Project DANTAK has focused on modernisation and capacity enhanement
including the double laning of critical road stretches such as Confluence–Haa (Phase I
inaugurated on August 1, 2025) and the nearly 168-kilometre Samdrup Jongkhar–Trashigang
highway, significantly improving travel time, safety and connectivity. The Project has also
demonstrated exceptional resilience by restoring connectivity in record time during natural
calamities, including major landslides and road washouts.
With this, the Project DANTAK continues to execute strategically important works across
Bhutan including road construction and upgradation projects in the South-Eastern region of
Nganglam–Dewathang, Samrang–Jomotsangkha and Khotakpa–Tshobaley, strengthening of
highways on the Damchu–Chhukha axis, bridge construction and development of alternate
alignments, including Panbang–Nganglam and Dewathang–Samdrupcholing regions. These
initiatives remain aligned with Bhutan’s developmental priorities and environmental sensitivities.
The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, visited Bhutan on November 11, 2025, during
which both nations reaffirmed their shared commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation and
friendship. Project DANTAK’s contributions over the decades remain closely aligned with this
spirit of partnership and mutual progress.
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