BRO re-opens 210 Km Manali-Sarchu Road

In an another major breakthrough of opening up of passes in the North-Western border areas, the Border Road Organisation BRO on Saturday opened up the 210 Kilometer long Manali-Sarchu Road on NH 1D in Himachal Pradesh. This achievement comes a day after the BRO opened the Zojila Pass for civilian traffic on the Srinagar- Kargil- Leh Road on NH 1. Opening the Manali - Sarchu Road establishes the vital connect to Lahaul District in Himachal Pradesh which further leads to Leh in Ladakh. The pass and the road, in the past, generally opened in the last week of April, but with the successful movement of a road convoy today the BRO has opened the pass almost a month in advance which is a record in itself.
During the winters the Road normally remains closed for over 160-180 days in a year, but this time Project Deepak of BRO has opened the road in 117 days, as the last convoy had moved on November 29 last year. The early opening is more creditable due to the fact that this year the region witnessed an exponential increase in snowfall as compared to last year. Opening the Manali-Sarchu Road was premised on successful conduct of snow clearance operations over one of the highest passes of the Zanskar Range, the formidable Baralacha La Pass. The BRO adopted a two prong approach, with simultaneous deployment of snow clearance teams from two sides, one from Patsio to Baralacha La and the second from Sarchu to Baralacha La. As a precautionary measure, in the initial days, the road will be open only for the movement of Army logistics convoys for delivery of essential supplies for troops deployed in the forward areas. Movement of all traffic will commence soon after the approval from the Civil Administration.