Leh-Manali road likely to reopen by March-end

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 6

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is likely to reopen the Leh-Manali highway connecting Ladakh with Himachal Pradesh in the last week of this month as it has expedited its efforts of snow clearance.

Chief Engineer, Project Himank, Brigadier Arvinder said summer snow clearance, which was being carried out by men of the Project Himank, was in full swing.

“We are likely to open the road up to Sarchu by March 25 which is almost one month earlier than the previous year,” he said, adding the highway was maintained by Project Himank up to Sarchu and was responsible to keep the highway open for traffic.

He said snow clearance operation would be carried from three points — first from Upshi side to Taglangla Top (T-Top), second from Debring side to Taglangla Top and third from Debring towards Pang and Sarchu.

“It will be for the first time that the project Himank will open the road before one-and-a-half month which is much ahead of the schedule. Additional teams have been pressed into snow clearance operations on the highway,” he said.

The highway is closed since November last year after heavy snowfall hit the region closing all traffic and movement due to snow accumulation. It is an alternate surface connectivity to Ladakh. Other highway Srinagar-Kargil-Leh is also likely to reopen by the end of March this year.

“Our teams are making efforts despite risks of snow avalanches on the highway. With the rise in temperature, there are more risks of avalanches,” he said.