KOLKATA (PTI): Defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd is working on making 7.5 metre double-lane bailey bridges for the Army to facilitate movement of tanks, a top company official said on Wednesday.

Research and development is also underway for 30-feet long portable bridges, which soldiers can carry in parts on their shoulders, Rear Admiral (retd) V K Saxena, Chairman and Managing Director of GRSE, said.

"Indian Army wants 7.5 mt wide double-lane bridges over which tanks can move. We are working on it and a prototype is likely to be ready by the end of 2018," Saxena said.

Stating that bailey or suspension bridges are in good demand, he said that apart from the hill states, the likes of Odisha and Maharashtra are also in talks with GRSE for supply of these.

Since these steel bridges cannot be blown away, Maharashtra is seeking to install these structures in Maoist-affected areas, a senior GRSE official said.

The state is seeking around 100 bailey bridges from GRSE to be installed in areas like Gadchiroli, the official said.

The ship building company manufactures portable steel bridges (30 feet to 230 feet) at its Kolkata and Ranchi facilities.

GRSE exports bailey bridges to neighbouring countries of Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, apart from supplying to several state governments within the country, Saxena said.