MP: Lahaul to Ladakh border roads a must

Mandi, December 22

Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal has raised in Parliament the demand for the construction of roads from Udaipur (Lahaul and Spiti) to Padum (Ladakh) and Korzok (Leh) to Kiato (Spiti valley) for strengthening strategic connectivity to the Indian border in the northern region.

To Link Spiti region

Of the three major roads, two are to connect Lahaul and Spiti with Ladakh, namely the Udaipur-Padum road from the Miyar valley in Lahaul and Spiti to the UT of Ladakh and a 100-km road from Korzok to Kiato to connect Leh to the Spiti region of Himachal.

Residents of Lahaul and Spiti have appreciated the MP for raising the issue of roads in Parliament.

The MP has said that India have had the experience of fighting wars in 1948, 1962, 1965, 1971 and 1999 and the Galwan conflict of 2020, so there is need to develop some alternative routes to connect the border with the mainstream land.

He has said, “A commendable work has been done with regard to the Nimo-Padum-Darcha road, including a tunnel at Shinku La and Zojila Pass, but there is need to focus on better, shorter and economically more feasible roads and tunnels on priority to keep our borders well secured.”

Rigzin Samphel Heyreppa, a resident of Lahaul, says, “Lahaul and Spiti district also shares border with China. So, there is an urgent need to strengthen road connectivity in border areas between Himachal and Ladakh.”

“During the ongoing Parliament session, the MP raised the demand for the construction of three major roads to connect Ladakh with the mainstream countryside. Of the three major roads, two are to connect Lahaul and Spiti with Ladakh, namely the Udaipur-Padum road from the Miyar valley in Lahaul and Spiti to the Union Territory of Ladakh and a 100-km road from Korzok to Kiato to connect Leh with the Spiti region,” he adds.