Top priority for all-weather road to Daulat Beg Oldie

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 14

Peeved over the “slow pace” of construction of strategically vital roads in the Himalayas, the Ministry of Defence has set stiff targets for India-China Border roads — 73 in number.

“Top priority” has being accorded to the road to Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) — 16,000 feet high plateau in northern Ladakh — and making of better roads in Arunachal Pradesh, especially a new shorter axis to Tawang.

The government wants infusion of new technology and faster working schedules and showcase actual work. Only 20 of the 73 roads have been completed in around 10 years. Work on some has not even begun due to forest and environmental issues.

Sources told The Tribune that an all-weather 255 km road connecting Darbuk in eastern Ladakh to DBO will be ready by 2017 and its progress is being monitored from South Block in Delhi.

The road between Leh and Darbuk exists, beyond that it’s dodgy. In winter, Army vehicles use frozen Shyok river to cross over. In summer, that option is ruled out as water flow from snow melt is rapid. Troops on induction have to cross a high-pass on foot.

The previous road — built at a cost of Rs320 crore and constructed between 2000 and 2012 — was too close to the Shyok and got washed away. Around 160 km of it is being re-aligned to make it access in every weather.

The DBO sits just 10 km from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Aksai Chin. The IAF carries out landing of its transport planes on mud-paved advanced landing ground at the DBO. The road will dominate the LAC in Aksai Chin. The Indian and Chinese Army have had face-offs in 2013 and 2014 in the area.

Another focus area is Arunachal Pradesh. A top MoD official had visited Tezpur in north Assam — the point from where the road to Tawang takes off. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has asked Defence Secretary G Mohan Kumar to monitor it personally.

A 367-km road connecting Tezpur in upper Assam to Bum La, located smack on the LAC with China, is literally a lifeline — connecting Tawang, Bomdilla, Dirang and Tenga. It is the only connection with ‘mainland’ India.

The existing ‘road’ can be a back-breaking, at times stomach-churning, exercise across a rubble-laden track.

China has black-top roads to the very top on its side. And, has added more “contact points” for themselves at the LAC — this, in simple words, means more roads, a source said.

An alternate road route between Tezpur and Tenga (141 km) is being built via Orang in upper Assam and is expected to be completed in March this year. However, the alternate road from Tenga to Tawang (190 km) is stuck up in forest clearances. This is what the MoD wants to hasten.