We all have known that the Border Road Organisation (BRO) has done some stellar work of late, connecting places in remote areas. The state-of-the-art Atal Tunnel and the 52 km-long, well-paved black top in Umling La, which is now the highest motorable paved road in India, are some of the recent examples. And just like that, BRO is also responsible for building roads and shaping up road infrastructure in some of the remotest of locations in our country in a bid to facilitate movement for the armed forces. That said, these roads constructed by BRO also help in promoting tourism in these locations and are used extensively by civilians. And so, BRO will now start collecting tolls from civilians at four key locations in Ladakh and the funds will be primarily used for the maintenance work.
Toll will be collected on the Leh-Srinagar highway.
BRO plans to start collecting tolls especially in the Himalayan states bordering China and Pakistan. It plans to begin with four routes and cover a distance of 941 km in Ladakh including the Leh-Srinagar highway and Leh's link road in Chalunka, located in the Nubra valley which is fringed by the Chorba region of Pakistan in the west and Siachen in the north. BRO has already received approval for six toll plazas on the route. However, the move has been opposed by Kargil Hill Council chief, Feroz Khan, who has asked for consultation. This route is used on a daily basis by locals but also attract heavy traffic from outside, especially in the June - September period, when the state sees an increase in the number of tourists coming in.
BRO has proposed collecting toll at three spots on the Srinagar-Leh highway passing through Zoji La, where construction of a new tunnel is underway and Minamarg, 10 km from Zoji La, in the direction of Kargil. A new toll will also come up at Mulbekh, 39 km from Kargil in the direction of Leh and close to the confluence of Indus and Zanskar rivers. Toll is also proposed to be collected at Padum on the street through Shinku La connecting Darcha in Himachal Pradesh with the Srinagar-Leh highway close to Nimmu.
Source: Times Of India
