Rohtang Pass re-opens for traffic
April 14th, 2010 - 9:51 pm ICT by IANSShimla, April 14 (IANS) The Rohtang Pass, the crucial road link between Manali in Kullu district and Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district in Himachal Pradesh, re-opened Wednesday for vehicular traffic, an official said.
The pass had been closed for traffic since Dec 10 last year due to heavy snowfall in the region.
“The snow clearing operation was completed and the Rohtang Pass was opened for traffic. Now, the road connectivity with the Lahaul Valley has been restored,” S.K. Doon, commander of General Reserve Engineering Force’s (GREF) 38 Task Force, told IANS on phone from Manali.
The GREF is a wing of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) that maintains the highway.
He said since the closure of the Rohtang Pass, the Lahaul Valley in Lahaul and Spiti district was cut off from the rest of the world.
“Traffic on the Rohtang Pass would be regulated by the BRO for a week as the machinery is yet to be withdrawn from there,” Doon said.
The majestic Rohtang Pass, located 52 km from Manali, lies on the Manali-Leh national highway-21.
An official of the BRO said the entire stretch of the 475 km Manali-Leh highway would be re-opened for traffic by mid-May.
The Manali-Leh highway passes through the most rugged and inhospitable terrain. The highway plays an important role in the movement of the armed forces to the forward areas in Ladakh.
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- Temperatures up, yet Himachal's Lahaul Valley snowbound - Apr 12, 2010
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Tags: april 14, armed forces, border roads, bro, closure, connectivity, doon, forward areas, heavy snowfall, inhospitable terrain, lahaul and spiti district, lahaul valley, manali, rest of the world, rohtang pass, snow clearing, task force, vehicular traffic, world traffic