The three men had no idea that they were the first to reach Zanskar by this route until told by BRO and locals

PADUM (LADAKH): Residents of Buddhist-dominated Zanskar valley of Ladakh are celebrating as a new road has brought the region closer to Himachal by over 600km. They gave a grand welcome to the first vehicle that arrived in the valley via the new road after crossing the Shinkula pass.

The road between Darcha in Lahaul valley of Himachal and Padum in Zanskar is being built above 16,600ft high Shinkula (Shingo-la) for nearly10 years now.

Though the road is not safe for general traffic movement and is still under construction, three persons from Manali, including this reporter successfully reached Padum, the headquarters of Zanskar, in their SUV. As the vehicle entered the valley from Shinkula pass, the three men were given a warm welcome by happy residents in many villages. The BRO officials, politicians and many organizations also congratulated the trio for being the first to reach the Zanskar valley by this road.

Some stretches of the route are in a very bad condition and require serious maintenance. 70 Road Construction Company (RCC) of BRO maintains the road in southern part of Shinkula pass and 126 RCC takes care of the rest of the stretch.

Nearly 3km stretch of the road at Lakhang was disputed for years and no company was maintaining it and it is in a bad condition. Finally, both the RCCs are building the road on a war footing.

‘We kept crossing nullahs & at one point, there was no road’

Initially, we had planned to visit Shinkula and return to Darcha and head to Kargil via Leh . We met 70 RCC commanding officer Deepak Bisht near the pass who encouraged us to attempt this adventurous journey. We kept crossing nullahs, river and at a point there was no road. Near Lakhang, there was no road and the area was submerged in the Zanskar river. BRO’s JE Keshav Kataria, who promised to help our vehicle cross the stretch, helped us by making a passable route through the river. We had no idea that we are the first people to reach Zanskar by this route until we were told by BRO officials and locals,” said Pritam Thakur, one of three men.

“Our hard times have ended. I cannot explain how happy the people here are. We can now go to Himachal to buy essentials and return home the next day. As your vehicle from Manali has reached here, others will also dare to ply the road and the BRO will keep maintaining it,” said Lobsang Tamba of Purne village, who runs a homestay here. He added that earlier a few vehicles had attempted to drive on the route but could not cross the Lakhang section.

“We are extremely happy that our Ladakh has been made an Union Territory. Connecting us with Himachal with shortest possible distance is another happy news for us. We need not to go to Kargil or Srinagar for shopping. Opening of this road will bring prosperity to the valley,” Tundup Angdus, a prominent personality of Padum, said as he welcomed the SUV at the headquarters of Zanskar valley.

Rigzin Dawa and Tashi Langzom, of the erstwhile royal family of Zanskar, gave a traditional welcome to the three men at Zangla palace. Rigzin said opening of this road would end the hardship of the people of Zanskar. He said Zanskar was vast and home to a large number of ancient monasteries which would be easily accessible to the tourists now. “Our new generation will definitely have a good time. They will have a comparatively comfortable life. This road will generate livelihood options for our people. The road has connected many remote villages,” he added.

As Manali-Leh highway passes through four high mountain passes and remains blocked for seven months in winters, BRO was looking for another option to keep Ladakh connected all the year. After Rohtang tunnel, BRO will construct a tunnel below Shinkula pass to make the Manali-Padum road all-weather. Meanwhile, BRO is building Padum-Nimmu road on war-footing. This road will connect with Leh-Srinagar highway at Nimmu, 40km beyond Leh towards Kargil. When complete, Kargil and Leh will be easily accessible to both the Indian Army and civilians.

38 Border Road Task Force (BRTF) commander Colonel Uma Shankar said the trio from Manali had broken records by becoming the first people to reach Zanskar in a vehicle by this route. “We are widening the Darcha-Shinkula road. The black topping of the road is also continuing. People can soon enjoy a smooth and scenic ride to Shinkula,” he said.

126 RCC second in-charge at Zanskar, Ashish Ranjan, congratulated the trio and said Padum-Shinkula and Padum-Nimmu road works are continuing at multiple stages. “A large portion of the road has been double-laned and black-topped. We have informed the seniors that Shinkula is now connected with Padum by the road.”

