Emphasis to be on better road connectivity, power supply in arid region
The Ladakh region has been allocated nearly Rs 21,000 crore for various projects under the Prime Minister’s Rs 80,000-crore package for the state.
The prime focus will be on an all-weather road to the region which generally remains cut off from the rest of the country for almost six months due to closure of the 434-km-long Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway and the 474-km-long Manali-Leh highway in harsh winters. The power sector is another key area that will be given a boost. The package has made an allocation for the much-awaited 375-km Leh-Kargil-Srinagar Transmission System.
The Centre has sanctioned Rs 9,090 crore for construction of the 13-km-long tunnel between Baltal and Minamarg to provide an all-weather road between Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, and Leh.
The Srinagar-Leh road goes through two major mountain ranges. It crosses the Himalayas at Zojila and the Zanskar mountain range at Fatula to enter into Ladakh.
Zojila witnesses standing snow of around 5-6 metres every year and its temperature plummets to about -28 degree Celsius. The proposed tunnel will pass through Zojila, which serves as the gateway to the Ladakh region.
Another major project to improve road connectivity in Ladakh will entail the construction of tunnels at Lachulunga Pass and Tagland Pass (Manali-Leh) with an estimated cost of Rs 5,000 crore. The package also mentions double-laning of the Kargil-Zanskar road to be constructed with a cost of Rs 4,200 crore project.
The Centre has also allocated funds for completion of the critical 292-km Nimu-Padum-Darcha road via Shinkunla, which is crucial to convert the Manali-Leh highway into an all-weather road. The deadline for the completion of the road has been set for March 2021 with the estimated cost of Rs 286 crore.
To ensure round-the-clock power supply and harness solar power in the Ladakh region which has the potential of producing 111-GW electricity, Rs 1800 crore has been sanctioned for the 375-km Leh-Kargil-Srinagar transmission line. The Prime Minister had laid foundation stone of the transmission line on August 12 this year.
“Two solar projects of 20 MW generation capacity each in Kargil and Leh have also been approved under the package. These projects will cost nearly Rs 720 crore (Rs 360 crore each),” said a senior official of Ladakh Renewable Energy Development Agency. Besides, the Centre has also provided Rs 50 crore for pashmina promotion programme in Ladakh. The construction of cold storage facilities at Leh and Kargil, and 50% subsidy support for setting up solar driers are other major projects to be undertaken in the arid region.
