In view of the increasing tourist footfall at 17,982 ft high Khardungla Pass, which is the world’s second highest motorable road in Ladakh, the Tourism Department has decided to refurbish the place and also create adequate parking space for vehicles.
Tourism Secretary of Ladakh Kacho Mehboob Ali Khan on Wednesday held a meeting in Leh to address the issue of managing tourist flow at Khardungla and creation of adequate parking space. Additionally, the meeting discussed removal of old and non-functional amenities such as, souvenir shop, public toilets, ATM, and cafeteria aiming to transform Khardungla into a safe tourist spot.
The meeting was attended by officers from various departments, including district deputy commissioner, tourism, public works, Vijayak (BRO) and Leh Development Authority (LDA). The officers discussed various issues in detail considering the need for sustainable and safe tourist management while preserving the ecological balance and cultural heritage of the region.
The Secretary emphasized on the significance of striking a balance between tourism promotion and safeguarding the ecosystem surrounding Khardungla. He highlighted the need to streamline the flow of tourists so as to ensure their safety and convenience and as well to mitigate the environmental impact of unregulated movement of vehicles and bikes on the pristine landscape.
He stressed upon making the Khardungla Pass a stop-over spot for tourists considering its altitude and safety and health of the tourists. He emphasised that all the obsolete structures, which are an eye-sore and impediment, are required to be removed for creation of space and parking lots for four wheelers and two wheelers separately. It was emphasised that visitors and tourists visiting Khardungla can avail public amenities and other facilities at North and South pullu.
The civil and Army officers were asked to take immediate action on these points and report compliance by 25 May. Vijayak project of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was given directions to start widening work to create enough space for parking at the Pass and demarcating parking space through laying of interlocking blocks etc. Further, BRO was asked to submit a master-plan by 25 May.
It was decided that the Ladakh Development Authority (LDA) will complete the ongoing work on the viewpoints at the earliest. Also, R&B Division, Leh and LDA were asked to complete the work on the wayside amenities at South Pullu and North Pullu immediately and handover the same to the assistant director, Tourism, Leh, who was asked to start working on outsourcing these two amenities soon after taking over them.
