Chamoli: A key road project in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, reaching close to the India-China Border has been completed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO.
This new 69.69 km-long road, connecting Sumna-Lapthal to Topidunga will make the movement of troops and heavy equipment to the border easier. The area is strategically important as there have been reports of several incursions by Chinese People Liberation Army (PLA) troops.
The road will also open the area to tourism and lead to socio-economic development of the local community.
The road cutting work took four years to complete and the next phase will include asphalting and other finishing work, BRO Commander Colonel Ankur Mahajan said.
The road starts from Malari, which lies on the Jyotirmath-Malari-Niti Highway, and goes up to Sumna. From there, the new stretch connects to Topidunga, near the border.
BRO’s Project Hirak completed the 70-km Sumna-Lapthal-Topidunga road, cutting through rugged terrain up to 17,341 ft just before Diwali. Excavators worked in double shifts amid sub-zero temperatures to build this lifeline for the Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the BRO posted on X.
Civilians need an Inner Line Permit to move beyond Malarai, as the area is close to the international border. The Lapthal Valley, where this road ends, was once a major trade route between India and Tibet. However, in recent years, the Chinese Army entered this area on multiple occasions, on foot and sometimes using helicopters. There have been complaints of Chinese troops destroying tents of Indian shepherds.
With the absence of road connectivity, it was difficult to maintain forward bases of the Indian Army and ITBP at such an altitude. The road will now allow better surveillance of the border.
The district of Chamoli faces strategic vulnerabilities due to repeated Chinese incursions, difficult terrain, depopulated border villages, and limited infrastructure.
With China creating infrastructure at a rapid pace across the border, this strategic road also shows India’s commitment to strengthening its own, especially in an area where the PLA has shown aggression.
Locals and the civil administration has welcomed the development. The new road will help in development of the remote villages, they believe.