new road to Gunji (Kailash/Mansarovar route)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...ow/1949127.cms

NEW DELHI: The Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra will be smoother for pilgrims from 2009 as the government has initiated an ambitious project to construct 75 km of motorable roads till Gunji outpost along the Indo-China border. At present, the pilgrims have to cover the stretch on feet, which takes them two days to pass through the rough terrain leading to Kailash-Mansarovar via Lipulekh pass.

"Construction on the border road project, connecting Dharchula to Gunji, will be started in December by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). It will be completed and opened for traffic in two years," said a senior home ministry official.

I have gone through these areas in 1993. The topography for construction of road from Dharchula to Jipti is favourable. In fact a mud road from Dharchula to Pangu was already laid down for PWD vehicles. It is the stretch between Jipti and Malpa which is going to be a real challenge for BRO. I hope, construction of the proposed road is not at the cost of already a fragile ecology in this part of Himalaya. Already, Kali Ganga river is full of rocks and uprooted trees.
Good luck to BRO.

Sadanand

Any further update on this?...by when it's likely to get ready.

Someday... I'd like to go to Mansarovar.... and also a little further for this magestic view!!!!
http://www.good-will.ch/pd/images/sc_kailash1.jpg


Mod note: Changed your image to a link- it was a bit big! You can attach as a thumbnail instead if you like.
karuna

You'll need your Indian pp back.

Or go thru the rigmarole of applying for a Chinese visa, flying to Lhasa via Kathmandu or Hongkong, and then finding your way across somehow.

Map shows there is a road connecting dharchulla in pttthoragarh to lipulekh pass. I would like to know from esteemed members whether this road is motorable/bikeable and if any special permission is required to be there. I plan to be there in October end.

Thanks in advance.

To the best of my knowledge, there is no road. Indian pilgrims to kailash trek this route every year and thet have not reported any road being there. Only one day trek has been cut down due to the extension of the existing road.

Ask someone who has done the trek in 2008. (Maybe no one has coz of the Olympics and the NO VISA policy this year)
.
.

thats sad. Look how irresponsible are these map publishing guys.they just created a road when there is none !!!!!

The road is being built upto Gunji, not Lipu Lekh (see link in #1).

On other threads, info is given that the road is motorable upto Mangti:
Travel to Uttaranchal
trek to adi kailash in Kumaon

I have checked KMVN's website and whatever I have read or seen confirms this:
http://www.kmvn.org/relegiouskailashmansarover.aspx
http://www.kmvn.org/mapsofua/pithoragarh.html (zoom in)
http://www.kmvn.org/Images/kumaon-map-big.gif

However I think this applies to heavy vehicles only; I think I read somewhere that it is jeepable upto Budhi, but don't recall where. This seems to be in line with what's written in the a.m. 'uttaranchal' thread.

BUT WHAT'S THIS?
Here's unquestionable confirmation that the road is INDEED being extended to Chialekh, and maybe Lipu Lekh:
http://meaindia.nic.in/parliament/rs/2004/08/26rs24.htm
AND
this seems to be confirmed 9 months later:
http://164.100.24.208/lsq14/quest.asp?qref=13504
S. no. 926 - the Case Status is 'Closed', which seems to be one step ahead of 'Approved'!

There's a few more "big ones" in the list - people like Avidbhai will NOT be happy, so I better not mention them.
Good for us roadies though.

Hi,

I did trek to Budhi from Mangti Nala in 2006. There is some jeepable road for some distance, which is not usable when it really rains. But even upto Jipti it is not there. I don't think that road to Budhi is in near term.




on another note, if the road really comes through, then the real meaning of yatra would come down. In fact the trek prepares you to get set for the Tibetian side difficulties and Mt Kailash Parikrama.

So, if there was any doubt about plans for a road to Lipulekh, doubt no longer!


"BORDER ROADS ORGANISATION
DIRECTOR GENERAL BORDER ROADS

NOTICE OF TENDER

1. A sealed tender is invited for "CONSTRUCTION OF ROAD GHATIABAGARH-LAKHANPUR-LIPULEKH PASS TO CLASS-9 SURFACED SPECIFICATION WITH 12.00 MTR FORMATION WIDTH SECTOR FROM KM 10.00 TO 20.00 UNDER 761 BRTF IN STATE UTTARAKHAND"
http://bro.nic.in/tenderdetails.asp?id=1865&project=9


"BORDER ROADS ORGANISATION
CHIEF ENGINEER PROJECT DEEPAK

NOTICE INVITING TENDER

1. A tender is invited for “HIRING OF 04 NOS AIR COMPRESSORS AND 02 NOS HYDRAULIC EXCAVATORS TO BE DEPLOYED FOR WIDENING OF ROAD TAWAGHAT-GHATIABAGARH BETWEEN KM 0.00 TO KM 19.20 AND CONSTRUCTION OF ROAD GHATIABAGARH–LIPULEKH BETWEEN KM 0.00 TO 10.00 OF 67 RCC/761 BRTF AREA UNDER PROJECT DEEPAK IN THE STATE OF UTTARAKHAND”
http://bro.gov.in/tenderdetails.asp?id=1902&project=24

The planned opening is for 2011, meaning if all goes well we can drive to Lipulekh in 2 years' time.
(I don't even particularly care if I don't go over to the other side).

Good to visit OM Parvat!

May be more KMY batches, but value of KMY may come down!!

You're kidding! Don't have Indian passport anymore. Wonder if an OCI will do...

Hi Earth.anon,

OCI wont do for KMY! But, you can as an individual apply for permit from concerned DMs and then on the Chinese side, it would be your luck!

Alternately, go upto Om parvat and may be Adi Kailash and then do the Nepal route for Kailash and Manasarover.

So, two yatras!

I am the local citizen of Pithoargarh district and Gunji lies in the same district.I am associiated with construction work and i am well aquanted with the difficulties coming across during road constrruction in such a tough terrain. With the speed BRO constructing the road my experience says it will take another twelve yrs in completion of the road and settlement of the slopes will take another three yrs. During construction period even tracking would be difficult due to loose debris obstructing the foot track here and there. And the speed of BRO people till now is not very exciting. Sorry guys,my point was not to discourage you but its the fact. I am a civil engineer and local person and completion would be more benefitial to me than others. Alas ! It could have been thought......