But when ready, the road will provide the only year-round access to large parts of Ladakh, including the border zone. That will go some way to bringing India on par with China, which has a network of roads and helipads on its side of the border. It highlights the efforts by India, which have been redoubled after the latest tensions, to develop key infrastructure - roads, tunnels, bridges and airfields - along the unsettled 3,500km border with China. There are two main highways that connect Ladakh to the rest of India, but they are closed for at least four months every winter. Work will continue through the bitter winter, when temperatures drop to below minus 40°C and biting winds at altitudes above 11,000 feet make road construction even more challenging, Kishen said.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 29, 2020 10:07 UTC