Manali-Leh highway restored to traffic on Tuesday by the BRO via Baralacha pass.
Civil traffic will be allowed on this highway after a few days by the district administration Lahaul and Spiti.
Shimla:
Manali-Leh highway has been restored to traffic on Tuesday by the Border Roads Organisation via Baralacha pass. The highway was blocked to traffic since December because of heavy snowfall on high mountain passes on this highway.
Manali – Leh Highway (NH3) is a 427 km long strategic highway connecting Ladakh to the rest of India via Manali. The highway is strategic for the movement of the armed forces and their supplies and wares to forward areas in Ladakh region that borders both China and Pakistan, as well as connecting the people of Ladakh to India. The highway is an alternate axis to the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh Highway.
With onset of winters and snow accumulation the highway remains closed from November end till it is opened by the BRO’s Work Force.
The entire snow clearance operations were executed by Project Deepak in Himachal Pradesh and Project Himank in Ladakh working simultaneously and in sync. These challenging operations commenced from two extremities by two different teams comprising skilled manpower and state-of- the-art machines. Project Deepak undertook the operation from Manali to Sarchu (Border of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh) and Project Himank clearing the highway from Leh to Sarchu.
The teams of both the units worked in extremely challenging conditions in snow storms and high-altitude areas to clear the highway. They had to negotiate four important and high altitude passes including the Baralacha La (16040 ft), Nakee La (15547 ft), Lachulung La (16616 ft) and Tanglang La (17482 ft). A significant time of snow clearance was consumed in clearance of these high mountain passes where the precipitation was more and the teams encountered snow walls of height 20-30 feet.
As the two snow clearance teams converged to a common point which is also the inter project boundaries, a ‘Golden Handshake’ ceremony was organized at Sarchu on April 23, in which the Chief Engineer Project Deepak, Navin Kumar, CE(Civ) presided over the ceremony and declared the highway clear of snow.
The complete team under the dynamic leadership of Col Gaurav Bangari, Commander 38 BRTF, Maj Ravishankar HN, Officer Commanding 70 RCC, Major Sandeep Kumar, 70 RCC spearheaded the operation to complete the snow clearance operations on April 21.
The road will be open only for move of Army Logistics convoys at present and the decision to open the road for civil traffic vehicles/ tourists will be taken by District Disaster Management Authorities in subsequent time frame in a phased manner.
This pursuit of excellence and constant reduction in the closure of the pass is a direct reflection of BRO’s relentless commitment towards nation building. These endeavours of BRO have been appreciated by Security Forces, Civil Administration and importantly by the Local Populace using these roads.
The opening of Manali-Leh Highway also augurs propitious times for the tourism which is the major source of living for the people of Ladakh and Lahaul & Spiti. Also, the travellers and adventure seekers from all over the world can now rush to these places in an early timeframe.
The Nation owes this to the grit, courage and sacrifice of BRO personnel who have experienced perils of life to execute these important operations. These unsung and mostly unknown heroes are our junior leaders, equipment operators, equipment mechanics, paramedics and Casual Paid Labours, who perform daredevil acts day after day, with unyielding faith in their machines, unwavering trust in each other and a silent prayer on their lips. They seek no more than a pat on the back for a job well done. The BRO has again demonstrated its commitment of Nation First, Always First and lived up to its ethos of “We Will Either Find a Way or Make One”.
The opening of the pass and Manali Leh Highway will facilitate augmentation of supply of essential goods and services for the people of Ladakh. The team of Project Deepak has displayed sheer grit and dogged determination in braving the subzero temperatures, lack of oxygen and toughest terrain conditions but nothing could stop the indomitable spirit of the “BRO Mountain Warriors” under the inspirational leadership of Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan, VSM, Director General Border Roads. BRO’s commitment to Nation Building and service to the people is clearly evident from such stupendous work carried out by BRO Mountain Warriors.
Chief Engineer of BRO Naveen Kumar said that from Manali to Sarchu, this highway was restored by the BRO in record 47 days. The BRO had started snow clearance from Manali side on March 6 this year.
