New Delhi, Mar 27: The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) connected the strategic Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road in Ladakh on Wednesday.
This 298-km road will connect Manali to Leh through Darcha and Nimmu on the Kargil-Leh National Highway.
The road is now the third axis apart from Manali-Leh and Srinagar-Leh which connects Ladakh to the hinterland.
The Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road derives its strategic importance from the fact that it is not only shorter vis-à-vis the other two axes but crosses only one pass: Shinkun La at 16,558 feet on which tunnel work is about to commence by the BRO.
This would result in the road having all-weather connectivity to the Ladakh region.
The connectivity will strengthen the defence preparedness and provide a boost to the economic development in the Zanskar Valley.
DG 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 would start soon.
“With construction of Shinkun La tunnel commencing, the third all-weather axis to Ladakh would be established,” he said.