Ushering in a new era in undertaking Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra and border area connectivity, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday inaugurated the road link from Uttarakhand's Dharchula to Lipulekh at China Border. Singh also flagged off a convoy of vehicles from Pithoragarh to Gunji through video conferencing.
Singh said with the completion of this road link, the yatra could be completed in one week compared to 2-3 weeks it took earlier. The road originates from Ghatiabagarh and terminates at Lipulekh Pass, the gateway to Kailash-Mansarovar. In this 80 kilometre road, the altitude rises from 6,000 to 17,060 feet.
With the completion of this project, the arduous trek through treacherous high-altitude terrain can now be avoided by the pilgrims of Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra. At present, the travel to Kailash-Mansarovar takes around two to three weeks through Sikkim or Nepal routes. Lipulekh route had a trek of 90 Km through high altitude terrain and the elderly yartris faced a lot of difficulties.
The other two roadways via Sikkim and Nepal are along. They entailed approximately 20 per cent of land journeys on Indian roads and 80 per cent of land journeys in China. With the opening of Ghatiabgarh-Lipulekh road, this ratio has been reversed. Now pilgrims to Manasarovar will traverse 84 per cent land journeys on Indian Roads and only 16 per cent land Journeys in China. This is truly historic, commented Singh.
Speaking on the occasion, he said the Central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have a special vision for the development of remote areas. Singh said with the completion of this crucial road link, the decades-old dreams and aspirations of local people and pilgrims have been fulfilled. He expressed confidence that local trade and economic growth in the region would receive a boost with the operationalisation of this roadway.
While congratulating the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) engineers and personnel whose dedication made this achievement possible, Singh mourned the loss of lives during the construction of this road. He praised the contribution of BRO personnel who live in far off places, and away from their families, that too in difficult times of coronavirus COVID-19.
According to Director General of BRO Lt Gen Harpal Singh, the construction of this road was hampered due to multiple problems. Constant snowfall, steep rise in altitude and extremely low temperatures restricted the working season to five months. Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra took place in the working season from June to October and it coincided with the move of locals and their logistics as well as the movement of traders (for trade with China) thus further reducing the daily hours for construction.
In addition, there were numerous flash floods and cloud bursts over the last few years which led to extensive damages. In the initial 20 kilometres, the mountains have hard rock and are near vertical due to which BRO has lost many lives and 25 equipment were also badly damaged due to falling into Kali River.
Despite all odds, in the last two years, BRO could increase its output by 20 times by creating multiple working points and inducting modern technology equipment. Helicopters were also extensively used to induct hundreds of tons of stores/equipment into this sector.
The event was attended by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Lok Sabha MP from Almora (Uttarakhand) Ajay Tamta and senior officials of Ministry of Defence and BRO.
