By Vishnu Makhijani
IANS
Leh (Jammu and Kashmir) : Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony Friday urged stepping up of road development in the strategically important Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, saying this would not only improve security but also push development and tourism.
“You must rapidly accelerate the pace of road development in Ladakh. This will not only help the security forces but will also bring more tourists to this area. This in turn will lead to the economic development of this beautiful land,” Antony told the head of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Lt. Gen K.S. Rao, during his first visit here after assuming office last October.
Toward this end, Shyam Saran, the prime minister’s special envoy, is accompanying Antony on the visit to “focus on what we need to do”, as he put it.
“Mine is a small group. We are here to focus on what we need to do; on whether what we have done is enough or do we need to do more,” Saran told reporters after Antony had addressed the officers and men of the Indian Army’s 14 Corps that is based here.
The formation was raised in the wake of the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan and is tasked with guarding the borders with the western neighbour and China.
Saran’s group includes Rao and another official from the China division of the external affairs ministry. He will submit a report directly to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his return to Delhi.
Essentially, what Saran aims to do is explore the manner in which the Rs.12,000 crore (Rs. 120 billion) accelerated road development programme underway in the northeast can be replicated in the Ladakh region.
“The prime minister had announced some road development works when he visited (Kashmir capital) Srinagar in May 2005. Some other works are also on. We need to see how these can be integrated in a holistic manner,” Saran maintained.
“The requirements of each region are different. In the northeast, there are more habitations. Here, the population is sparse. We will study all these aspects before a report is submitted to the prime minister in consultation with the Border Roads Organisation and the army,” Saran stated.
Speaking about the BRO’s ongoing projects in Kashmir, Kelly said the doubling of the 430-km Srinagar-Leh highway was underway even as a feasibility study was being mooted for digging a tunnel under the Zoji La pass to ensure the road remained opened through the year.
“Previously, the road used to be closed between November and June. We have now been able to open it by the first of May. We are also seeking a consultancy for tunneling under Zoji La following demands that the road be kept open throughout the year,” Rao said.
Since the road had come under heavy Pakistani fire during the 1999 conflict, the BRO was also exploring an alternative route that avoided the border areas but would add some 40 km to the journey. This road should be completed in two to three years, Rao said.
The BRO also maintains a second route to Leh via Manali in Himachal Pradesh but this also closes in winter after the Rohtang Pass over which it passes gets snowed in. To overcome this, the BRO has received a consultant’s report on tunnelling under the pass.
“We have already drawn up the technical manuals for the task and should begin training our personnel for the job next month, by when the tender for the tunneling work should have been sent out,” Kelly stated.