Better roads in Ladakh will boost Army vigilance

The Army and the Border Roads Organisation are working hard in the Ladakh region to create better road connectivity as they have have to look after two borders, with China and Pakistan. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) completed the motorable road, the world’s highest such road, on Thursday to boost Army movement along the Line of Actual Control in that sector.

When Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made her first visit to the Ladakh region, she inaugurated the Pratham-Shyok Bridge which connects Leh to Karakoram. This bridge gave the Army passage for military

transport to the important Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Olde axis near the China border. Similarly, the Army recently connected the Karkit area of Kargil by road. It was a part of Gilgit Baltistan but later became a part of Ladakh, following the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

The 54-km long road was constructed by the BRO in six years. The road passes through Umlingla top at a height of over 19,300 feet. The BRO completed the road despite the oxygen level at such altitude being 50% less. The efficiency of machines’ manpower declines by 50% due to such harsh climate. The Army is happy that the BRO has completed its vital strategic requirement in the region.