BRO to take up ₹574-cr border road widening project in Uttarakhand

The Union transport ministry has approved widening of the 51-km stretch of the national highway from Mana village in Mana Pass, Uttarakhand to the India-China border involving an investment of ₹574 crore. The road will be widened to two lanes for better and quicker movement of troops and will be executed by the Border Road Organisation in the next couple of years.

Currently, the existing stretch is a single lane road and is barely motorable in some portions and was declared as an NH in January this year. The design speed of the road will be 40 kmph and with the widening, realignments and treatment of vulnerable locations, army vehicles will be able to take this stretch throughout the year.

Apart from this, the widening of this road will also be a big boost to religious tourism to Deo Taal and will also come in handy for trekking activities and mountaineering expeditions. The stretch from Mana to Mana Pass remains snow-clad from mid-December to April with an average snowfall of 8-10 feet. The construction work can be carried out only from May to November. Since there is no habitation on this stretch, land acquisition and relocation of people won’t be an issue.