The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is set to finish certain infrastructure tasks along the China border in the coming weeks. These include sections of an alternate route to Leh, aimed at ensuring all-weather access.
Additionally, the organisation, operating under the Union Ministry of Defence, has given priority to specific projects under the India-China Border Roads initiative and aims to complete full connectivity to the Lipulekh Pass on the Mansarovar Yatra Road in Uttarakhand, according to sources from The Indian Express.
Currently, there are three routes to access Leh. The first route is through Srinagar, Zoji La, and Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir.
The second route passes through Manali and Rohtang in Himachal Pradesh. This road diverges at a location called Darcha, with one path leading to Leh via Padam and Nimu, while the other crosses the mountain passes of Baralacha La in Himachal Pradesh and Tanglang La in Ladakh, before reaching Leh via Karu.
Currently, neither of these routes to Leh offers all-weather connectivity.
The Srinagar-Leh and Baralacha La-Karu-Leh routes are the established traditional paths to reach Leh.
Senior officials knowledgeable about the projects mentioned that linking a 4-kilometre untouched section of the Nimu-Padam-Darcha road and initiating construction on the 4.1 km twin tube Shinku La tunnel along the Manali-Darcha-Padam-Nimu route are among the top tasks on the BRO’s immediate agenda.