Women officers forge new paths in Border Roads Organisation

Source: The New Indian Express

KOCHI : Since its establishment in 1960, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was traditionally male-dominated, given the challenging nature of the work, which involved constructing roads in remote and harsh terrains under extreme weather conditions.

Initially, women officers were restricted to staff roles due to the perceived hazards of fieldwork. However, in a historic move on March 8, 2021, the then Director General of Border Roads announced a plan to create a gender-neutral environment in alignment with the government's Naari Sashaktikaran theme.

This led to the appointment of the first female Officer Commanding, EE (Civ) Vaishali S Hiwase, to lead a Road Construction Company (RCC), undertaking the challenging task of constructing a road from Munshiyari to the Milam glacier in Uttarakhand.