The 298-km Border Roads Organisation road, part of the Ladakh package being dedicated on 15 October, links Leh with Himachal Pradesh via the Zanskar valley.

BulletsIn

• The 298-km Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road, also called the Zanskar Highway, links Ladakh with Himachal Pradesh through the Zanskar region.
• It was built by the Border Roads Organisation and runs from Nimmu on the Kargil-Leh highway to Darcha, connecting Manali with Leh.
• It is the third axis connecting Ladakh to the hinterland, apart from the Manali-Leh road of 428 km and the Srinagar-Leh road of 439 km.
• The Defence Ministry has said the road is shorter than the other two axes and crosses only one pass, Shinkun La, at 16,558 feet.
• Tunnel work under Shinkun La was announced by the Border Roads Organisation in 2024 to give the road all-weather connectivity.
• The Border Roads Organisation said the Zanskar River was frozen in January 2024 when equipment and personnel were mobilised to complete the connection.
• The connectivity is meant to strengthen defence preparedness and boost economic development in the Zanskar valley.
• The road is one of the five projects, worth around Rs 3,350 crore, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is dedicating in Ladakh on 15 October 2026.