Manali-Leh highway opens for light vehicle

SHIMLA: After remaining off for vehicular traffic for more than five months, the Manali-Leh highway opened for light vehicle on Monday.

A statement issued by Deputy commissioner Lahaul Spiti Kamalkant Saroch said that snow clearance on the 13050 ft high Rohtang pass was clear to one way traffic on Sunday and motorists could be allowed to ride on the high way.
He said that police rescue post set at Madhi and Koksar was removed on Saturday .
Mr Saroch advised the people to venture on the high way keeping weather conditions in mind.
The highway was off for vehicular traffic from December 2019 onwards. However, its snow clearance work completed amid lockdown yesterday, he said.
Administration likely to open Vehicular traffic between Keylong and Manali on Monday and or Tuesday.
The strategic high way help the armed forces to supplies wares to the areas in Ladakh on the other side of border.
The construction wing of Indian Army, Border Road Organization (BRO) maintains this strategic highways in the country.
BRO’s ‘Project Deepak’ is responsible for clearing snow on the 222-km Sarchu-Manali highway while ‘Project Himank’ takes care of the 253-km Leh-Sarchu highway.
Due to prolonged winter this year about 30-35 feet high snow have mounted in some stretches close to Rohtang pass and Baralacha Pass, posing a big challenge to those clearing the snow.
The work to repair the entire 475-km stretch, which links the Himachal Pradesh tourist city with Leh in Jammu and Kashmir, was completed.
The Manali-Leh highway pass across Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet), Baralacha Pass (16,020 feet), Lachlungla Pass (16,620 feet) and Tanglangla (17,480 feet).
(AGENCIES)