Sasoma–Saser La Road

Sasoma–Sasser La-Saser Brangsa-Gapsam-Daulat Beg Oldi Road (SSSG-DBO Road) 131 km long road through 17,800 feet (5,400 m) high Saser La, and it's 18-km-long northwest-to-southeast fork the Sasser Brangsa-Murgo Road (SBM Road), are 30-ft-wide black-topped heavy-military-vehicle-grade motorable road between Nubra Valley and Depsang Plains (DBO-Daulat Beg Oldi) in Ladakh in India. The sections of SSSG-DBO Road are the 47 km long "Sasoma (near Siachen Base Camp)- Saser La section", 27 km long "Saser La-Saser Brangsa section", 42 km long "Saser Brangsa-Gapsam section" along the upstream of Shyok River which goes northeast of Saser Brangsa, and 10 km long "Gapsam-DBO section". Just after the Saser Brangsa, after crossing the 345 m long bridge over the Shyok River, the SSSG-DBO Road forks into two: 18 km long "Saser Brangsa-Murgo Road" (SBM Road) along the downstream of Shyok River which goes southeast of Saser Brangsa, and 52 km long Saser Brangsa-Gapsam-DBO route (SSSG-DBO Road) along the upstream of Shyok River which goes northeast of Saser Brangsa. These forks connect to the Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road (DS-DBO Road) at two places: at Daulat Beg Oldi in northeast and at Murgo in southeast.[1][2][3][4] This strategically important road provides a much shorter alternative access from Nubra Valley to DBO as compared to the longer 230 km route via "DS-DBO Road".[3][5] In September 2023, several sections of the road are already complete, the whole blacktopped route will be completed by October 2024.[1] To provide the all-weather connectivity, the DPR (detailed project report) for 7 km long Saser La tunnel under the Saser La till Saser Brangsa was being prepared in June 2023,[2] the tunnel construction will commence in 2025 and will be completed by 2028.[1]

History

Border Roads Organisation is responsible for constructing this ICBR road & tunnel, under the Project Himank.[6][7]

Road construction

In August 2020, a dirt track was created from Sasoma to Saser La & Saser Brangsa, which was later widened to a 30 ft road after the National Board for Wildlife gave permission to allocate 55 hectares land of Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary for the road widening. In April 2023, 2 month long black-topping of 43 km long Sasoma-Saser La section commenced. After it's completion in June 2023, the paving of 4 km long section over the Saser La with the concrete interlocking tiles started which will be completed by August 2023. Route from Saser Brangsa to Murgo and Saser Brangsa to DBO has already black-topped and motorable in 2022-2023.[2]

Tunnel construction

The 4 km long route over the Saser La to Saser Brangsa is made of concrete interlocking tiles. This route over the high pass gets closed during the winter snowfall. Hence, to provide the all-weather connectivity a tunnel is planned, the wildlife approval for which was already granted in April 2022.[3] In June 2023, the DPR (detailed project report) for it was being prepared.[2]

See also

References
  1. Singh, Rahul; Choudhury, Sunetra (29 September 2023). "India moves to secure key flashpoint at LAC". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  2. Amid border row, Ladakh infra to gain heft with new strategic road to Depsang, DBO, The Tribune, 9 June 2023.
  3. Alternate alignment to Daulat Beg Oldi Road gets wildlife board nod, Economic Times, 29 Apr 2022.
  4. Singh, Rahul; Choudhury, Sunetra (9 June 2020). "India working on two roads in Ladakh amid border row". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  5. India working on two roads in Ladakh amid border row, Hindustan Times, 9 July 2020.
  6. "World's First Galciated Motorable Road Being Laid in Ladakh by BRO Amid Extreme Weather Conditions". CNN-News18. PTI. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  7. "World's 'first' glaciated road coming up in Ladakh region of Kashmir". Greater Kashmir. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
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