Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has directed the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and the public works department (PWD) to conduct detailed safety audits of vulnerable road stretches in Ladakh and take immediate preventive measures to mitigate landslides and rockfalls following recent incidents that damaged property and disrupted traffic.
The directions were issued during a high-level meeting chaired by the lieutenant governor on Thursday to review preparedness and mitigation measures in the wake of recent landslides, rockfalls and flash floods in the Union Territory, officials said.
Saxena appreciated the relief operations carried out by the Army and BRO during recent flash floods and landslides and lauded the prompt road-clearance efforts.
He, however, stressed the need for proactive measures at vulnerable locations to prevent recurrence of such incidents and ensure uninterrupted road connectivity.
The lieutenant governor directed the agencies concerned to undertake a comprehensive safety audit of around 15 identified high-risk locations on the Leh-Kargil National Highway and four to five vulnerable stretches on the Khardung La axis of the Leh-Nubra road.
He asked officials to assess unstable slopes and remove loose and potentially hazardous rocks before they pose a threat to commuters.
Emphasising a shift from reactive response to proactive risk management, Saxena said the focus should be on engineering and technology-based mitigation to ensure safer roads, uninterrupted connectivity and greater resilience against natural hazards.
“The recent flash floods, landslides and rockfalls have once again underlined the need to strengthen our preparedness and move beyond reactive response to proactive prevention,” he said.
The LG directed the concerned agencies to identify vulnerable locations, undertake detailed safety audits and use the best available technologies for slope stabilisation and rockfall protection.
“Our priority is to ensure the safety of people, protect critical infrastructure and maintain uninterrupted connectivity across Ladakh,” he said.
During the meeting, BRO officials made detailed presentations on the causes of slope failures, citing changing rainfall patterns, geological factors, slope gradient alterations, weathering, developmental activities, vibrations and water pressure as key contributors.
They also briefed the lieutenant governor on various mitigation technologies, including retaining and breast walls, flexible ring nets, soil nailing, rock bolting, anchoring, shored-wall retaining structures, rockfall embankments, rock sheds, high-energy absorption barrier systems, smart rockfall detection systems and the use of geosynthetics such as geogrids, geotextiles, geomembranes and geocells.
Chief Engineer, Project Vijayak, Brig Rahul Oberoy assured the Lieutenant Governor that safety audits and preventive measures on the Leh-Kargil and Leh-Nubra highways would be taken up on priority.
Saxena also directed the PWD Secretary to carry out similar safety audits and risk mitigation measures on major road stretches under the department’s jurisdiction.
The meeting was attended by General Officer Commanding (GOC), 14 Corps, Lt Gen Madanraj Pande, Chief Engineer, HQ 14 Corps, Brig Aditya Harshey, Chief Engineer, Project Vijayak, Brig Rahul Oberoy, Chief Engineer, Project Himank, Brig Rajiv Ahlawat, and Secretary, PWD, among other officials.
