BRO connects strategic Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road in Ladakh

Subject: Geography

Section: Mapping

Context:

Border Roads Organisation (BRO) connected the strategic Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road in Ladakh on March 25, 2024. This 298-km road will connect Manali to Leh through Darcha and Nimmu on Kargil – Leh Highway.

More on news:

The road is now the third axis apart from Manali-Leh and Srinagar-Leh which connects Ladakh to the hinterland.
The Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road derives its strategic importance from the fact that it is not only shorter vis-a-vis the other two axes, but crosses only one pass ie Shinkun La (16,558 feet) on which tunnel work is about to commence by the BRO.
This will result in the road having all weather connectivity to the Ladakh region.
The connectivity will strengthen the defense preparedness and provide a boost to the economic development in the Zanskar valley.
With construction of Shinkun La tunnel commencing, the third all weather axis to Ladakh will be established.

About BRO:

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India.
BRO develops and maintains road networks in India’s border areas and friendly neighboring countries.
It is staffed by officers and troops drawn from the Indian Army’s Corps of Engineers, Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Military Police and army personnel on extra regimental employment.
Engineering Service and personnel from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) form the parent cadre of the Border Roads Organisation.
Currently, the organization maintains operations in twenty-one states, one UT (Andaman and Nicobar Islands), and neighboring countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka.
The BRO operates in 18 projects namely: Arunank, Beacon, Brahmank, Chetak, Deepak, Dantak (Bhutan), Himank, Hirak, Pushpak, Sampark, Yojak, Sewak, Shivalik, Swastik, Udayak, Vartak and Vijayak. Beacon is the oldest BRO project (along with Vartak).

Areas in news:

About Nimmu:
- Nimo or Nyemo is a village and the headquarters of an eponymous community development block in the Leh district of Ladakh, India.
- It is located in the Leh tehsil, 35 km from Leh.
About Padum:
- Padum is the main town and the administrative center of the Zanskar tehsil in Kargil district, Ladakh, India.
- Named after the Buddhist guru Padmasambhava, it was historically one of the two main capitals of the Zanskar Kingdom, the other being Zangla.
- It is 235 km via the link road from Kargil city.
About Darcha:
- Darcha (elevation 3,360 m or 11,020 ft)[1] is a pair of villages (Darcha Sumdo and Darach Dangma) on the Bhaga River in the Lahaul sub-division in the Lahaul and Spiti district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.
- It is the northernmost permanent settlement in Himachal Pradesh along the Manali-Leh Highway.