Work underway to widen Manali-Leh highway

Work to widen one of the world's highest motorways is underway in Himachal Pradesh. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has started expanding the Manali-Leh highway to strengthen connectivity along a route seen as a strategic point for India's defence forces and used by tourists alike. Reaching peaks of 5,328 metres, treacherous snowfall keeps the 480-kilometre highway closed for nearly eight months of the year. The construction work has also become a much-needed source of income for the people of Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul-Spiti district, a community forced to live in isolation due to heavy snowfall.