The Leh-Manali highway, connecting Ladakh with Himachal Pradesh, is likely to be opened in the last week of this month, officials said on Thursday.
They said the snowclearance operations by Border Roads Organisation are going on in full swing.
Brigadier Arvinderm, the Project Himank’s Chief Engineer,said the summer snow clearance is being carried out by his men in full swingwith modern equipment.
“We are likely toopen the road up to Sarchu by March 25 which is almost a month earlier than theprevious year’s date of opening,” he said, adding the highway uptoSarchu ismaintained by Project Himank with the responsibility to keep it open for thetraffic.
He said the snow clearance operation is being carried fromthree points — from Upshi side to Taglangla Top (T-Top), from Debring side toTaglangla Top and from Debring towards Pang and Sarchu.
“It will be for the first time that the project Himank willopen the road ahead of the schedule. Additional teams have been pressed intosnow clearance operations on the highway,” he said.
The highway has been closed since November last year afterheavy snowfall hit the region closing all traffic due to huge snowaccumulation.
“Our teams are makingstrenuous efforts despite risks of snow avalanches on the highway. With rise intemperature, there are more risks of avalanches,” he said.