Gangtok, Aug. 10: The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is all set to repair the road to Nathu-la before October 2, the day the Silk Route reopens.

Brigadier M.S. Pillai, the chief engineer of Project Dantak, while announcing this today, said the work on the Nathu-la route would begin after the monsoon in the first week of September.

Pillai, who is based in Thimphu, the headquarters of Project Dantak, is currently in Sikkim for a weeklong visit to supervise the repair work of the landslide-hit national highway and the roads leading to the trade route.

Though work cannot be started immediately owing to inclement weather, the BRO claims that it has all its resources in place.

?Our project includes surface improvement right from Sevoke, tackling landslides and widening of the roads. We have all the resources ready and aim to meet our deadline before the trade route is reopened,? Pillai said. He said the 7-km stretch beyond Sherathang to the Nathu-la outpost ? the area earmarked as the trade mart ? would be widened and the hairpin bends carved out. A security fence would also be built on both sides from Sherathang to the Nathu-la, he added. It would act as an indicator for the trade mart. Road and traffic signs would also be installed along the route, the chief engineer said.

?The directorate-general of the border roads in New Delhi has sanctioned an initial sum of Rs 16 crore for repairing roads to the Nathu-la,? Pillai added.

He also said they were working on an alternative route to bypass the 13th Mile along the Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, which has been hit by landslides since May. ?We have requested the respective state government agencies and the army to grant us the clearance for the alternative route,? Pillai said. He also said plans were on to convert the route to Nathu-la into a double lane and complete the project by the end of the year or the next financial year.

He said while the plans were in place, the funds would be made available in the next financial year.

Today three BRTF personnel were awarded by the chief engineer for their prompt action in restoring the NH 31 A after a massive landslide choked it at 8th Mile near Shetijhora last Friday. Assistant executive engineer P.K. Singh and officials Ravinder Pal and Gopal Rai were recipients of the award.

Pillai said while fighting against all odds, the BRO aimed at restoring normal traffic at the earliest so that there is no inconvenience to commuters and supply of essential goods.

About shifting of the chief engineer?s office from Gangtok to Thimphu in Bhutan, he assured that it would not hamper the work of Project Dantak. He said, since the chief engineer would from now on look after Sikkim, West Bengal and Bhutan, it would help transporting the resources to the areas it is needed the most at the earliest.