BRO's snow clearance operation in Leh (Photo: BRO)
Leh: The Border Roads Organisation's Project Himank has commenced snow clearance operations on National Highway-3, the strategic Leh-Manali corridor via Sarchu, as part of the annual effort to restore connectivity to the Union Territory of Ladakh.
The 251.5 km Leh-Sarchu stretch remains snowbound for four to five months each year, severing Ladakh's road link with Himachal Pradesh. Clearance operations span three high-altitude passes -- Tanglang La (17,482 ft), Lachulung La (16,616 ft), and Nakee La (15,547 ft) -- under extreme cold and difficult terrain.
The highway is critical not only for the Indian Army's logistics in forward areas but also for nine villages and several border camps along the alignment, supporting an estimated population of 5,000–6,000.
Operations are being led by 111 Road Construction Company under 753 Border Roads Task Force, with teams working round-the-clock using heavy snow-cutting machinery. Skilled operators and engineers are deployed along the axis to ensure safe and timely reopening of what BRO describes as a critical line of communication.
The NH-3 push is part of a broader BRO winter clearance campaign across the Ladakh-Kashmir theatre.
Earlier in January, BRO intensified operations at Zoji La -- which connects Srinagar to Leh on NH-1 -- under Projects Vijayak, Beacon, and Himank, working round-the-clock to sustain troop movement, logistics, and emergency access to forward posts along the Line of Actual Control.
More recently, BRO also deployed teams on Mughal Road in Poonch -- connecting Rajouri and Poonch with south Kashmir's Shopian -- after heavy snowfall forced closure of the route, with 79 RCC working continuously to restore traffic.
The Leh-Sarchu-Manali axis has historically served as one of two primary surface routes into Ladakh alongside the Srinagar-Leh highway on NH-1, making its seasonal restoration a strategic priority for operational preparedness in the region.
