Ladakh: The 5-month-old Leh-Manali National Highway is once again accessible to traffic
The 428-kilometer Leh-Manali National Highway was blocked for over five months owing to severe winter snowfall, but the Border Roads Organization reopened it for traffic on Wednesday, according to authorities. With the arrival of winter and the piling of snow, the highway—an alternative route that connected the Union Territory of Ladakh with the rest of the nation via Himachal Pradesh—was blocked in November.
According to a defense spokeswoman located in Leh, the BRO cleared the route for cars after the snow removal operation was over.
“111 Road Construction Company (RCC) and 753 Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) under Project HIMANK of BRO, in the Ladakh region, and 70 RCC and 38 BRTF under Project Deepak in Himachal Pradesh, executed the entire snow clearance operation,” the statement said.
Using highly qualified labor and cutting-edge equipment, two distinct snow clearing teams began this difficult operation from opposite extremes. They worked simultaneously and in unison. The official said, “Project Deepak carried out the operation from Manali to Sarchu (the border between Ladakh and Himachal), while Project Himank cleared the route from Leh to Sarchu.
According to him, the teams cleared the national highway and navigated four significant passes, including the Baralacha La (15,910 feet), Nakee La (15,547 feet), Lachung La (16,616 feet), and Tanglang La (17,482 feet), all while working in extremely difficult conditions.
