Vaishali Sureshchandra Hiwase creates history as she has been designated as the first woman Commanding Officer (CO) of a Road Construction Company (RCC) responsible for providing forward connectivity along the India-China border by the Border Road Organisation (BRO). BRO's commitment to women's empowerment is a source of pride for the Vidarbha region in general and Wardha in particular, as Hiwase is from Wardha.
Vaishali Hiwase, who will be discharging her duties in a very challenging environment has served as an Executive Engineer (Civil) in BRO and also in Kargil for years. “With two air- maintained detachments located at 10,000 ft and above, the alignment of the road is going through some formidable passes and treacherous terrain of hard rock with vertical cliffs,” stated a press release issued by BRO, while giving the description of the work ahead for the woman officer.
Vaishali Hiwase completed her M.Tech. from Wardha University. After completing a challenging tenure in Kargil, the woman officer has assumed command to take on this difficult task of cutting through the rocks. During the COVID-19 pandemic and the border standoff between India and China in the Ladakh sector last year, BRO built main roads and tunnels in forward areas along the China border.
In Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim, BRO is constructing strategic highways. By December 2022, it hopes to have completed all 61 strategic roads assigned to it along the Chinese frontier, allowing for faster mobilisation of troops and supplies to forward areas.
According to a press release from BRO, this modest beginning will usher in a new age of women empowerment, with women officers taking on the most difficult tasks. BRO tweeted, "#History in Making."
The Border Roads Organisation is an Indian road network executive force that supports and is affiliated with the Indian Armed Forces. Infrastructure projects are underway in 19 states and three union territories, as well as neighboring countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Tajikistan, and Sri Lanka.
