Agencies

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 80 km strategic road from Dharchula to Lipulekh (China border), which is famously known as the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra route.

He also flagged off a convoy of vehicles from Pithoragarh to Gunji via video conferencing. The DarchulaLipulekh road is an extension of Pithoragarh-Tawaghat-Ghatiabagarh road.

It originates from Ghatiabagarh and terminates at Lipulekh Pass, the gateway to Kailash Mansarovar. In this 80 km road, the altitude rises from 6,000 feet to 17,060 feet.

t present, the travel to Kailash Mansarovar takes around two to three weeks through routes in Sikkim and Nepal.

Lipulekh route had a trek of 90 km through high-altitude terrain and the elderly pilgrims faced difficulties. Now, with the completion of this road, the yatra can be completed using vehicles.

In the initial 20 km, the mountains had hardened rocks and were near vertical due to which BRO lost many lives and 25 equipment were also badly damaged.