Jammu, March 8 (IANS) Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh on Friday inaugurated a 331-metre long bridge in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district.

A Defence Ministry statement said the Minister, along with Lt Gen Harpal Singh, Director General of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), dedicated the Bein bridge to the nation through e-inauguration from New Delhi.

The strategically important Bein bridge is located on Parole-Rajpura road near the international border. It will facilitate in smooth connectivity and help the socio-economic development of the border villages in Samba region, the statement said.

The bridge was constructed at a cost of Rs 21 crore six months before its scheduled time.

The Minister praised the BRO personnel for working away from their families in "most hostile and difficult areas".

--IANS sq/rtp/m