‘Adi Kailash yatra’ hampering border road work

‘Adi Kailash yatra’ hampering border road work

B.D.Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, May 23

The work on the Gunji to Jolingkong border on Indo-China border is getting delayed following a decision of the Pithoragarh district administration to allow pilgrimage to ‘Adi Kailash’ peak on the road for three days a week and allowing road widening work for four days in a week thus slowing down the pace of the work.

Border Roads Organisation (BRO), the nodal agency for border roads construction, wants more time to complete the 36 km long border road last phase on the Indo-China border from Gunji to Jolingkong, (Adi kailash route), as it’s work of completing the road  is getting affected due to uncontrolled tourists rush these days.

“The road, from Gunji to Jolingkong is being widened as double lane by BRO, but due to one sided decision of Pithoragarh district administration to allow widening work by BRO, only on 4 days in a week to give clear way to ‘Adi Kailash’ pilgrims, the widening work on this patch is getting slow,” said Vimal Goswami, AVSM, VSM, chief engineer of ‘Hirak’ road project of BRO.

” We have done 65 percent of road widening work on this portion, if we could get no disturbance, we could complete the rest of road widening work by October this year,” claimed  the BRO engineer.

The ‘Adi Kailash Yatra’, that began this year from May 4, is being run by private parties and Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), a state government undertaking   simultaneously.

“We want to be given whole week for work by allowing the pilgrims from all parties to leave at a given time and return to Gunji by 12 pm  daily, for the BRO workers could work regularly, “said the BRO officer.

The BRO officer said that after completing the widening work of that road, the travelling time from Gunji to Jolingkong,that is 3 hours presently would  be reduce to 1.50 hours.

The BRO officer who was talking to this correspondent after returning from Gunji, also demanded  temporary police posts at Gunji, Kuti and Jolingkong, to manage the Yatra.

” We get only 5 months working period in this part of Himalayan region due to snowfall during the rest of the months and if this time could not be used, the completion time shifts to next year, “said the BRO engineer.

The ‘Adi Kailash yatra’ this year was flagged off by KMVN, on May 4th, but the coordination meeting was called by the district administration on May 17th in which the decision to allow  road construction work only  for four days in a week was taken.

The motor road from Ghatiabagar to Lipulekh pass was commissioned on May 8, 2020. This border road also links the sacred Jolingkong peak, revered as ‘Adi Kailash’, on which the Yatra is being run these days, to compensate for the the ‘Kailash Mansarowar yatra’ in Tibet that could not be started for the 4th consecutive year this year following Covid pandemic.

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Tunnel to be constructed between Bundi and Garbiyang

A six km long tunnel will be constructed between Bundi to Garbiyang points on Ghatiabagar to Lipulekh road,to make the way to last border post at Lipulekh pass at Indo-China border, more smooth, Vimal Goswami, chief engineer of project ‘Hirak’ of BRO said.

According to BRO officer, the contact for survey work of the tunnel has been awarded to ATINOK India consultants. The company has started the survey work  and will submit final proposal of the project in a year’s time.” The rs. 2000 crore project could starts within 4 or 5 years time from now,” said the BRO officer.

“Keeping the proposal of tunnel in mind, the BRO has developed the border road from Bundi to Garbiyang as a single lane road only while the rest of border road is being developed as a double lane road ,”said the BRO officer.

According to the BRO officer, the border road, that was commissioned in 2020, is being  black topped and double laned these days. Most of the work of double lanning has been almost completed.” Only the cutting work on 5 km long last portion of the road from KMVN huts to Lipulekh pass is awaiting permission and could be completed in 100 days time, once Central command HQ gives permission of that work, ” said the BRO officer.