The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has completed the construction of the 298-km Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road in Ladakh, providing crucial connectivity to the region amid the border standoff with China. This road, the third axis to Ladakh, will enhance defence preparedness and economic development in the Zanskar valley.
Amid ongoing border standoff with China in parts of the eastern Ladakh, 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 the Manali-Leh and Srinagar-Leh ones.
This road will connect Ladakh to the hinterland with all weather connectivity. It will strengthen the defence preparedness towards northern borders and provide a boost to the economic development in the Zanskar valley.
From the other two axes, this road will be shorter and cross only one pass -- Shinkun La at 16,558 feet on which tunnel work is about to commence.
Director General Border Roads Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan said that in January, when the River Zansakar was frozen, the equipment and personnel were mobilised and the work of establishing the connectivity was completed.
He exuded confidence that the work on blacktopping the road will start soon. “With the construction of the Shinkun La tunnel commencing, the third all-weather axis to Ladakh will be established,” he added.
The BRO said that as the nation was celebrating the festival of colours, Holi on Monday “the intrepid personnel of BRO were tirelessly cutting through vertical rock faces connecting the final stretch of Niraq gorge in subzero temperature.”
“25th March marked 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,” the BRO added.
It must be noted that Ladakh is strategically important as it shares disputed borders with Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China with areas like Kargil, Siachen, Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO), and Eastern Ladakh among others, falling along its frontiers.
During winters, the strategically important Manali-Leh highway remains closed and Ladakh remains cut off from the mainland. During these six months, the region is dependent on supplies through aerial routes.
Since the 2020 border standoff in the Ladakh region, India and China have amassed over 50,000 men and machines each side. In such a scenario, roads play an integral role in sustaining heavy deployment.