Border Roads Organisation (BRO) connected the strategic Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road in Ladakh on March 25. This 298-km road will connect Manali to Leh through Darcha and Nimmu on Kargil–Leh highway. The road is now the third axis apart from Manali-Leh and Srinagar-Leh which connects Ladakh to the hinterland, the Ministry of Defence said in a press release on Tuesday.
The Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road derives its strategic importance from the fact that it is not only shorter in comparision to the other two axes, but crosses only one pass; Shinkun La (16,558 feet) on which tunnel work is about to commence by the BRO. This will result in the road having all weather connectivity to the Ladakh region. The connectivity will strengthen the defence preparedness and provide a boost to the economic development in the Zanskar valley, the ministry said.
DG Border Roads Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan said that in January, when the River Zansakar was frozen, the equipment and personnel were mobilised and the work of establishing the connectivity was completed. He exuded confidence that the work on black topping the road will start soon. With construction of Shinkun La tunnel commencing, the third all weather axis to Ladakh will be established, he added.