Snow clearing work begins on Manali-Leh highway
March 3rd, 2010 - 11:33 am ICT by IANSShimla, March 3 (IANS) The snow clearing work on the strategic 475-km National Highway-21 that connects Manali in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Jammu and Kashmir has started, an official said Wednesday.
The highway has been closed since Dec 10 last year after heavy snowfall.
“The snow clearing work on the Manali-Leh highway started yesterday (Tuesday) from Gulaba near Manali,” S.K. Doon, Commander of General Reserve Engineering Force’s (GREF) 38 Task Force, told IANS.
The GREF is a wing of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) that maintains the highway.
“We are trying to re-open the Rohtang Pass, the gateway to Lahaul and Spiti district, by mid-April. But this depends upon weather conditions,” he said, adding the road to Kothi, 13 km from Manali, has been re-opened to traffic already.
The majestic Rohtang Pass is located 52 km from Manali.
An official of the BRO said the entire stretch of the road between Manali and Leh would be re-opened to traffic by the end of May.
The Manali-Leh highway passes through rugged terrain.
The highway plays an important role in the movement of armed forces to the border areas in Ladakh.
- Rohtang Pass reopens after five months - May 25, 2011
- Rohtang Pass re-opens for traffic - Apr 14, 2010
- Rohtang Pass to be re-opened for traffic this week - Apr 11, 2010
- Rohtang Pass reopens for traffic - Aug 06, 2012
- Snow clearing work begins on Manali-Leh highway - Mar 01, 2011
- Time for pulsating action on Himachal highway - Jun 09, 2011
- Manali-Leh highway reopens for traffic - Jun 07, 2010
- Stuck since December, they await Himalayan road's reopening - May 24, 2011
- Manali-Leh highway closed after landslides - Aug 06, 2010
- Tourists evacuated from Rohtang Pass - Jul 11, 2011
- Avoid Manali-Leh highway, snowfall likely - Oct 23, 2011
- Through mountain of snow, they open road to Lahaul (Feature with image) - Apr 27, 2012
- Over 150 stranded in Himachal hills - Jun 10, 2010
- Permit must for Manali-Leh travel by non-Himachal vehicles - Jun 26, 2011
- Himachal seeks speedy reopening of Rohtang Pass - Nov 24, 2009
Tags: armed forces, border areas, border roads, bro, doon, heavy snowfall, jammu and kashmir, kashmir, kothi, lahaul and spiti district, rohtang pass, rugged terrain, snow clearing, spiti, task force, traffic, weather conditions