NEW DELHI, Mar 26: The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has now established “connectivity” on the 298-km Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road in Ladakh, which will be the third axis to the strategically-important region after Manali-Leh and Srinagar-Leh.
“When the Zanskar river was frozen in January, we used this to our advantage. We moved equipment and personnel along the frozen river to establish additional attack points.This enhanced the progress of work,” BRO chief Lt-General Raghu Srinivasan said on Tuesday.
“We have now established connectivity on this vital axis. Soon, we will start work on black topping the road. With construction of the Shinkun La tunnel also commencing, the third all-weather axis to Ladakh will be established,” he added.
The PM-led Cabinet Committee on Security in February last year had approved the Rs 1,681 crore construction of the twin-tube 4.1-km tunnel under the forbidding Shinkun La at an altitude of 16,558-feet, on the border between Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, for ‘alternate’ all-weather connectivity to Ladakh. The tunnel is likely to be constructed in another two years or so.
The 298-km road will connect Manali to Leh through Darcha and Nimmu on the Kargil-Leh Highway. “The Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road derives its strategic importance from the fact that it is not only shorter vis-a-vis the other two axes, but also crosses only one pass, the Shinkun La,” an officer said.
“Once the tunnel comes up, this axis will have all-weather connectivity as well. The provision of connectivity along this third axis to Ladakh will give a quantum boost to our defence preparedness along the northern borders (with China),” he added.
The “intrepid” BRO personnel had been tirelessly cutting through the vertical rock-face connecting the final stretch of Niraq gorge in sub-zero temperatures, with teams engaged in the work on both sides. “The connectivity was finally achieved on Monday, when the nation was celebrating Holi, marking the culmination of many years of hard work, toil, dedication and perseverance by BRO personnel in one of the most challenging terrain and trying weather conditions in the world,” he said. (Agencies)
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