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Defense Minister Rajnath Singh dedicated a new 80km highway in Uttarakhand to the nation on Friday that connects near the Current Control Line (LAC) and opens a new route for Kailash Mansarovar yatra through the Lipulekh Pass, significantly reducing travel time for yatris.
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“Delighted to open the Link Road to Mansarovar Yatra today. The Border Highway Organization (BRO) achieved road connectivity from Dharchula to Lipulekh (Chinese Border) known as the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra Route. It also dialed a convoy of vehicles from Pithoragarh to Gunji via video conference, “Singh said in a tweet.
Speaking of advantages, a defense source said: “The biggest advantage of the new route over previous ones is that it is the shortest and cheapest route with only a fifth road travel distance compared to others. There are no air travel involved and the majority of the travel, 84%, is in India and only 16% in China compared to other routes where 80% of road travel is in China. “
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Also, except for a 5km walk on the Chinese side through the Lipulekh Pass, the entire trip will now be by vehicle. “So a five-day hike will come down to a two-day road trip. From here to there, it is likely that they will save six days, “said the source. This means that yatris You can travel up to 5 km from the border in vehicles and make the first overnight stop in Gunji for Stage I acclimatization and the second stop near the Lipulekh Pass for Stage II acclimatization.
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Previously, after reaching Ghatiabgarh via Pitharogarh, it was 79 km or five days of walking on foot to the Lipulekh Pass. Pitharogarh is 490 km from Delhi. The Lipulekh Pass at 17,000 feet is near the triple junction of India, China, and Nepal.
The new 80 km long green highway from Ghatiabgarh to Lipulekh was built under the instructions of the China Study Group (CSG) and is funded by the Indochina Border Highway (ICBR) and is scheduled to be completed in December 2022. This highway It was approved by the Security Cabinet Committee (CCS) in 2005 at a cost of ₹ 80.76 crore and in 2018 the cost was revised to ₹ 439.40 crore.
The trail was completed up to 5 km before the Lipulekh Pass on April 17, 2020. The last part could not be completed due to a temporary ban imposed on last mile connectivity in 2016 by the Director General of Military Operations, which is still not completed lifted “If approved, work on connectivity for the last mile to Lipulekh Pass will begin in mid-May (after snow removal) and will be completed this year,” the source added.
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