NEW DELHI: The strategic road connectivity in eastern Ladakh is set to get a major boost with the construction of a bridge by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) across the Shyok river.
The BRO on Wednesday tweeted: “The construction of the iconic 120-mtr permanent bridge is in progress over the mighty Shyok, eastern Ladakh.” The Chinese have been objecting to the important DSDBO Road. The strategically important 255-km Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldie (DSDBO) ends at 16,614 ft high DBO, about 20 km short of the 18,700-ft high KK Pass.
Col Chewang Rinchen Setu at 15,000 ft is another strategically important bridge over the Shyok, connecting Durbuk and Daulat Beg Oldie in eastern Ladakh. The areas of eastern Ladakh are being connected with roads and bridges, big and small, keeping the necessity of mobility in mind as the prolonged standoff between the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army prevails along the Line of Actual Control. The Chinese PLA has mobilized its troops at multiple points along the LAC since May 2020.
In order to step up the pace of work in remote and high-altitude areas, the BRO has been shifting heavy machines close to the construction sites. It has seen upgrading technology, equipment, and engineering skills which have also assisted in keeping mountain passes open for a longer period in winters.
Earlier, Ladakh used to be cut off for six months from the rest of India. The strategically important Zojila Pass (11,643 ft) this year was closed only for 73 days. The BRO has been focusing on the early opening of passes. Shingo La (16,700 ft), connecting Zanskar and Lahaul valleys, opened on April 16, in a record 50 days earlier than the previous years. In Sikkim too, Zadong-Donkyala-Kerang road at altitudes ranging 15,000-18,000 ft opened almost two months ahead of the expected timelines.
This has led to an optimal movement of troops and quicker transport, said an officer. The focus of infrastructure construction covers all three sectors of the LAC: eastern, central and western sectors. A 100-meters ‘Steel Arch Bridge’ in a remote part of Arunachal Pradesh is coming up fast.
The LAC runs 3,488 km, 826km of which lies along with eastern Ladakh. Director-General Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry had on May 20 conducted a ‘breakthrough blast’ of Nechiphu tunnel at an altitude of 5700ft. The 500 m-long double lane tunnel lies on Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang (BCT) Road in West Kameng District. Once this and the Se La tunnels are complete, the Tawang sector will have all-weather connectivity.