Sumdo-Kaza-Gramphoo stretch double-laning begins

Vijay Mohan

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 6

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has started the widening of the strategic Sumdo-Kaza-Gramphoo road which will improve connectivity to the tribal belt of Lahaul-Spiti and the adjoining border areas with China.

The 235-km road was taken over by the BRO from the Public Works Department about two years ago with the mandate of maintaining and upgrading it as a strategic border road. It links the Chandigarh-Manali-Leh and the Chandigarh-Shimla-Puh national highways.

“We will prepare a detailed project report on the work within three months,” BRO Additional Director General PK Mahajan said. “The road will be upgraded as per the National Highway Double-Lane standards, where two large vehicles can pass each other,” he added. The work will be done in a phased manner.

At present, portions of the road are of Class-5 and Class-9 standard, varying from 5m to 3.5 m of black top where one vehicle has to get off the top to allow the other to pass. Large parts of the stretch remain snow-bound during the winter.

Sumdo-Kaza-Gramphoo connects Kullu through the Rohtang Pass and Gramphoo on the western axis to Kinnaur Valley via Kaza, Tabo and Puh on the eastern axis. The road moves further on to Rampur, Shimla and Chandigarh as part of the national highway.

Several popular tourist destinations lie between Gramphoo and Sumdo, including the Kunzum Pass, Chandratal Lake, Tabo, Ki and Dhankar monasteries and Pin Valley National Park.

The BRO also expects to complete the double-laning of the Wangtu-Puh-Kaurik stretch of the aforementioned national highway by next year, thereby improving road connectivity to Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti from Chandigarh and Shimla.