BRO expedites snow-clearing operation on Manali-Leh road

Dipender Manta

Mandi, April 9

The Border Roads Organisation has intensified its snow-clearing operation on the Manali-Leh highway in the tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti district. The BRO machinery and workforce reached Baralacha Pass from Keylong on Sunday and are now moving ahead towards Sarchu clearing snow on the way.

Despite adverse climatic and geographical conditions in the region, the BRO workforce and its machinery are moving ahead rapidly. The BRO officials are confident that the Manali-Leh highway will be connected to Sarchu within the next 10 days, when a golden hand shake ceremony of BRO teams from Lahaul and Leh sides would be held.

The BRO has engaged its workforce from Lahaul which is moving towards Sarchu and from Leh towards Sarchu, which is a meeting point for both the teams. Sarchu is the boundary of Himachal and the union territory of Ladakh.

The 427-km-long Manali-Leh highway is strategically very important, which is used by the Indian military to reach Ladakh from the Manali side to provide essential supplies to the Indian Army soldiers serving in border areas of Ladakh close to China. Last year, the BRO had restored this highway to traffic on March 25 but this year, it is expected that this highway will be restored till April 20.

According to official sources in the BRO, “This year due to heavy snowfall in Lahaul and Spiti, the restoration of this highway has been delayed. The BRO started clearing snow from Jispa and started moving towards Sarchu on March 6. The team has reached Baralacha Pass. There is around 30 feet snow on the road and the temperature is in minus even during the day time. The highway is prone to snow avalanches from Manali ahead up to Leh at several locations. In such a situation, it is a challenging task for the BRO to restore the highway and make it travel worthy.”

“Now, around 33 km of road stretch remains to be cleared of snow from Baralacha up to Sarchu, which has heavy deposits of snow. The BRO team is working relentlessly round the clock to ensure restoration of this highway. However, the restoration would depend on weather conditions. Due to high altitude, this region receives snow even during April which again blocks the road to traffic. The BRO has engaged eight machines and around 30 workers for clearing snow on this highway,” the source said.