Colonel Chewang Rinchen Bridge

News:Defence Minister has inaugurated a bridge named Colonel Chewang Rinchen bridge.

Facts:

About the bridge:

• The bridge has been named after Col Chewang Rinchen.It stands at 14,650 feet across the Shyok river.
• The bridge was constructed by the Border Road Organisation (BRO) within a period of just 15 months.
• The bridge will be a boost to road connectivity.It will connect Durbuk and Daulat Beg Oldie in Eastern Ladakh.It is 45 km east of Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

About Col Chewang Rinchen:

• Colonel Chewang Rinchen is India’s youngest ever recipient of the Maha Vir Chakra at the age of 17 in 1952.
• He was the first to respond to when Lt Col Prithi Singh sought volunteers to defend Ladakh against Pakistani raiders in 1948.
• He was again awarded Maha Vir Chakra again in 1971 for his heroic act in freeing nine enemy points located in Ladakh’s Partapur sector.

Additional information:

About Shyok river:

• Shyok River which is called as the The River of Death is a tributary of the Indus River.
• The river originates from the Rimo Glacier, which is one of the tongues of Siachen Glacier.
• The tributaries of Shyok river are Chang Chen Mo River, Galwan River, Nubra River and Saltoro River.
• The river holds several Quaternary period (2.58 million years ago) depositions that help Geologists to learn more about the evolution of the earth.