Army Roadmap To Fight China Border Plots

255-km DSDBO road is a game changer for India to foil PLA’s actions in Ladakh. Despite ongoing tensions, Army is pressing ahead with final phases of construction

- Gaurav C Sawant

The arm of a giant excavator perched precariously on the mountain slope drills a hole. Standing at an altitude of almost 17,000 feet, Lieutenant Colonel Ajay Chauhan says a silent prayer under his breath as the drill of the excavator bores into the mountain.

This is a zero-error exercise as a tiny mistake could send the 20tonne machine hurtling down into the raging Shyok river 50 feet below. Engineers of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are racing against time to make an all-weather black top road to quickly move men and material from Leh to Daulat Beg Oldie at the Base of the mighty Karakoram Mountain at an altitude of 16,696 feet.

“This is an extremely risky task. There are always chances of an accident. The operators risk their lives. But we are preparing an alternate axis with a gentler gradient so that heavy trucks and equipment can be moved quickly between Durbuk and Daulet Beg oldie,’’ says Lt Col Chauhan, officer commanding, Road Construction company.

The army has declared the 255kilometre long Durbuk-ShyokDaulat Beg Oldie road its top priority for completion. The road starts at Durbuk at an altitude of a little over 14,000 feet and snakes along the Shyok river before climbing up to 18,000 feet near DBO.