The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) that functions under the Union ministry of defence has build an all time highest motorable road in India that surpasses the previous record held by Bolivia.
The Union ministry of defence said in a statement that the road is black-topped, 52-kilometre long and is at the height of 19,300 feet and it passes through Umlingla Pass of Eastern Ladakh. This 52-kilometre long road connects many important towns and villages in the Chumar sector of Eastern Ladakh.
According to the statement, altitude of this road is even higher than the base camps of the Mount Everest as the South Base Camp in Nepal is at an altitude of 17,598 ft and the North Base Camp in Tibet is at 16,900 feet.
This mortable road is much above the altitude of Siachen Glacier which is at an height of17,700 ft and offers an alternative direct route connecting Chisumle and Demchok from Leh and will play an important role to promote tourism in Ladakh.
The Union ministry of defence said in its statement,"Infrastructure development in such harsh and tough terrain is extremely challenging. During the winter, the temperature dips to -40 degrees and the oxygen level at this altitude is almost 50 per cent less than at normal places."
The statement further reads, "The BRO has achieved the feat due to the grit and resilience of its personnel who work in treacherous terrain and extreme weather conditions."
The road project was underway since 2017 and now, four days ago, the blacktopping of the road has been done which marks its completion. The road was build under the Project Himank and is at a very strategic point as the villages that are connected by the road are very close to the India-China border in the eastern sector.
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