Manali-Leh road to be thrown open to tourists soon

Abhinav Vashisht

KULLU, APRIL 13

The 425-km Manali-Sarchu-Leh highway will be thrown open for tourists soon. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) had cleared the snow and opened it for the one-way movement of vehicles on March 26. Army vehicles are using the road at present.

According to sources, the road will be restored to both-way traffic within a week.

One-way movement began on March 26

The BRO had cleared the road of snow and opened it for the one-way movement of vehicles on March 26. Army vehicles are using the road at present.

The 38 Border Road Task Force (BRTF) Commander, Colonel Shabarish Vachali, says that the work is underway to improve the condition of the road. The impediments noticed for smooth movement of vehicles will be removed.

Lahaul-Spiti Deputy Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said those travellers on the Leh route should not be in a hurry to move ahead. The vehicles would be allowed to move only if the conditions were right.

The Manali-Leh route earlier could not be restored before May, but this time the road has been cleared about a month earlier. The BRO has also intensified its efforts to restore the Darcha-Shinkula-Padum road to connect the Zanskar valley in Ladakh with Lahaul.

A large number of tourists, including foreigners, opt for the adventurous Manali-Leh route. The vehicles carrying essential supplies to border areas also take this route, which is accessible only during the summer.

The beneficiaries associated with the tourism industry say the Rohtang Pass is a major attraction among the tourists and the work to throw it open for tourists should be expedited. The road to Rohtang should be restored before snow melts and the Pass loses its charm.

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