Himank, also known as Project HIMANK is a project of the

Border Roads Organisation The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India. BRO develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly neighboring countries. This include ...

under the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

of India. It was established in August 1985 to facilitate the construction of road infrastructure in Ladakh and parts of

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...

under the

India–China Border Roads India–China Border Roads (ICBRs, ICB Roads) is a Government of India project for developing infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control, Sino-Indian border by constructing strategic roads, including bridges and tunnels. The ICBR project ...

project. The project is also involved in providing all year access to military bases and outposts in

Siachen glacier The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayas, just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends in northeastern Kashmir. At long, it is the longest glaci ...

, along the

Line of actual control The Line of Actual Control (LAC), in the context of the Sino-Indian border dispute, is a notional demarcation lineAnanth KrishnanLine of Actual Control , India-China: the line of actual contest, 13 June 2020: "In contrast, the alignment of ...

and areas near the

Pangong Tso Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake (; zh, s=班公错, p=Bān gōng cuò; ) is an endorheic lake spanning eastern Ladakh and Ngari Prefecture, West Tibet situated at an elevation of . It is long and divided into five sublakes, called ''Pangong Tso' ...

lake. It has constructed the highest motorable road in the world at Umling La at height of along with roads in

Khardung La Khardung La () or Khardung Pass is a mountain pass in the Leh district of the Indian union territory of Ladakh. The pass is on the Ladakh Range, north of Leh, and connects the Indus river valley and the Shyok river valley. It also forms th ...

, Tanglang La and Chang La. The project also provided access from Leh to

Kargil Kargil or Kargyil is a City in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the WP:TERTIARY, tert ...

during the

Kargil War The Kargil War, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Ladakh, then part of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir (state), Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LoC). In In ...

in May 1999. Its work in some locations is constrained to only a few months in a year due to extreme climatic conditions. The project undertakes snow clearance works every year to keep major roads in strategic area in Ladakh open during winters.

Command structure

The project is divided mainly into the 16th task force, 753rd task force and 50th task forces which facilitates works in the areas of

Spituk Spituk or Spaythub is a census town located in the Leh district of Ladakh, India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by ...

, Thiksey and

Durbok Durbuk or Darbuk, is a village and the headquarters of the eponymous Leh district#subdivision, subdivision and Community development block in India, block in the Leh district of Ladakh, India.companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specifi ...

which in turn include

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

s and detachments. Project Himank is led by a Chief Engineer of

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

rank. The task forces are headed by a

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

rank, while the companies are headed by an

officer commanding The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually giv ...

, usually of

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

rank.

Major works

The project has connected numerous villages and townships including Chisumle and Demchok with the highest motorable Umling La road. In 2016, the project constructed two strategic bridges namely the Himank Setu and Tsultak Bridge across the Shyok river and Phiya Lung Nallah respectively. The project has constructed and maintains the Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road which leads to

Daulat Beg Oldi Daulat Beg Oldi (also Oldie, DBO) is a traditional campsite and current military base located in the midst of the Karakoram Range in northern Ladakh, India. It is on the historic trade route between Ladakh and the Tarim Basin, and is the last c ...

, a military base along the line of actual control. The construction of a new tunnel along the DBO road is also under progress. The construction of the Sasoma–Saser La Road on the

and Likaru-Mig La-Fukche road at an altitude of is also underway. The construction is possible for a short period of time every year due to extreme cold and geographical challenges. The project has also experimented the construction of plastic roads using waste

low-density polyethylene Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is a thermoplastic made from the monomer ethylene. It was the first grade of polyethylene, produced in 1933 by John C. Swallow and M.W Perrin who were working for Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) using a high pr ...

high-density polyethylene High-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polyethylene high-density (PEHD) is a thermoplastic polymer produced from the monomer ethylene. It is sometimes called "alkathene" or " polythene" when used for HDPE pipes. With a high strength-to-density rati ...

polyethylene terephthalate Polyethylene terephthalate (or poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in synthetic fibre, fibres for clothing, packaging, conta ...

, and

polyurethane Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) is a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethane term ...

. The project is also constructing a

3D printed 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...

air despatch unit in Chandigarh airport which aims to provide logistical support to the project.

Road signs

Project HIMANK is known to install humorous road signs along roads in Ladakh, photos of which are the subject of the book ''Peep Peep Don't Sleep''. Signboards, notably those in the

Nubra Valley Nubra, also called Dumra, is a historical region of Ladakh, India that is currently administered as a subdivision and a tehsil in the Leh district. Its inhabited areas form a tri-armed valley cut by the Nubra and Shyok rivers. Its Tibetan nam ...

, offer philosophical statements from singer

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

, French author

Jules Renard Pierre-Jules Renard (; 22 February 1864 – 22 May 1910) was a French author and member of the Académie Goncourt, most famous for the works ''Poil de carotte'' (Carrot Top, 1894) and ''Les Histoires Naturelles'' (Nature Stories, 1896). Among ...

, singer-songwriter

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

and early Zionist

Jessie Sampter Jessie Sampter (March 22, 1883 – 1938) was a Jewish educator, poet, and Zionist pioneer. She was born in New York City and immigrated to Palestine in 1919. Biography Jessie Ethel Sampter was born in New York City to Rudolph Sampter, a New ...

Photo gallery

{{Gallery , title= , width=250 , height=200 , align=center , File:Jules Renard quotation on Himank BRO sign board in the Nubra Valley, Ladakh, Northern India.JPG, , File:Jessie Sampter quotation on Himank BRO sign board in the Nubra Valley, Ladakh, Northern India.JPG, , File:Jimmy Buffett Himank BRO sign in Nubra Valley, Ladakh, Northern India.jpg, , File:Himank - God is One.jpg, , File:After Whiskey Driving Risky. Jispa to Leh.jpg, , File:If Married Divorce Speed. Ladakh.jpg, , File:Peep, Peep - Don't Sleep. Sign in Ladakh. 2010.jpg,

References

Government agencies established in 1985 Transport in Ladakh 1985 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir Border Roads Organisation

Command structure

Major works

Road signs

Photo gallery

See also

References