New Delhi (TIP)- Racing to reshape the strategic landscape of Ladakh, where China’s predatory conduct and military ambitions have led to a lingering border spat, India is on the verge of completing an ambitious project to provide much-needed alternative connectivity to a remote, strategically important outpost near the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC), top officials aware of the matter said on Thursday, September 28.
The new road to Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO), India’s northernmost military base, will permit movement of soldiers, weapons and logistics to reinforce the front lines. The new road cannot be sighted from across the LAC, an advantage denied by the only existing road to DBO from Darbuk, said one of the officials requesting anonymity. And the fact that it is farther away from the LAC also means that it is less vulnerable to attacks from across the line. It will be ready to support critical military movement by November-end and is expected to be fully blacktopped in a year, he added. Around 2,000 people are working on meeting the deadline.
The construction of the 130km road from Sasoma in the Nubra Valley to DBO near the Karakoram Pass has entered its final and most challenging phase that will require the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to finish a stretch in steep glaciated terrain and build a bridge on the Shyok River, Hindustan Times has learnt.
Work on the Sasoma-Saser La-Saser Brangsa-Gapshan-DBO road gathered momentum three years ago in the backdrop of escalating military tensions between India and China: the two countries have been locked in a standoff since May 2020 and a full resolution of the border crisis through ongoing negotiations still appears elusive. Depsang, which falls in the DBO sector, is one of the problems areas.
“Latest technologies are being employed to clear construction hurdles in the final lap,” said a second official, who also asked not to be named. The road falls under Hardness Index-III, which is BRO’s top-most classification for tough projects.
The existing 255km Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi (DS-DBO) road runs close to the LAC. Sasoma and Darbuk can be reached from Leh via two different road axes.
Several key sections of the Sasoma-Saser La-Saser Brangsa-Gapshan-DBO road have been completed, the officials said, sharing granular details with HT. Of the 52km stretch between Sasoma and the 17,600-foot Saser La, 46 kilometres have been blacktopped and only 6 kilometres remain, but this glaciated patch is the most difficult to build and BRO is using geocells (three-dimensional, expandable panels made of polymer) to stabilise the road and increase its bearing capacity. This stretch will be fully ready by November.
The connectivity between Saser La and Saser Brangsa has been achieved, and blacktopping of the 27-km stretch will be complete by October 2024. Work on the 42-km Saser Brangsa-Gapshan stretch is in full swing — a road length of 31km has been built while 11 kilometres remain, and the full stretch will be blacktopped within a year. The 10km stretch between Gapshan and DBO will also be ready next year.
Source: HT