Amid ongoing tensions with China, the Border Roads Organization (BRO) has almost finished work on a third strategic highway, also known as the Nimmu-Padam-Darcha highway. This highway will give strategic connectivity to the security forces since it will be impossible to trace for neighboring countries. The other two roads, Srinagar-Kargil-Leh and Manali Sarchu-Leh, are exposed as they are close to the international border, making it easy for the enemy to keep an eye on them. The sources said the new highway will also cut travel time from Manali to Leh by almost half. While traveling on the old road used to take 12-14 hours, on the new road it will only take 6-7 hours. One of the most important aspects of this route is that, unlike others, it can remain open almost all year round. The other two roads used to stay open for only 6-7 months and were generally closed for a six-month period starting in November. BRO engineers said that this road is functional now and is ready for heavy vehicles weighing several tons. “This road is ready except for a section of 30 kilometers. Now the Army can use this road. The importance of this road is that the Army can save almost 5-6 hours in transit from Manali to Leh. Also, because this road is Untraceable by other countries, Army movement can occur without much security risk. This highway is not near any border, “said BRTF 16 Commander Superintendent Engineer MK Jain. Furthermore, as this road is at a low altitude, it can remain open for almost 10-11 months for the movement of vehicles. This road is 258 kilometers long. We have provided connectivity by diverting it and connecting it to a different road than the 30 kilometer one. The section has not yet been completed. “The route mainly used for the transport of goods and personnel is the Zojila route, which runs along the Drass-Kargil axis to Leh.
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