BRO receives Guinness World Records certificate for constructing world's highest motorable road in Ladakh

Construction and blacktopping the world's highest motorable road at 19,024 feet at Umlingla Pass in Ladakh has earned the BRO a Guinness World Records recognition.

In a virtual ceremony, the official adjudicator of the Guinness World Records based in the United Kingdom Rishi Nath acknowledged the remarkable achievement of BRO for constructing the highest altitude road in the world.

In a four-month-long process undertaken by the Guinness World Records, five different surveyors verified the claim.

Director General Border Roads (DGBR) Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry received the Guinness World Records certificate on November 16.

On the occasion, Chaudhry spoke about the challenges faced during the road construction to Umlingla Pass, which he said, tested both the human spirit and efficacy of machines in an extremely tough terrain where temperatures in winters dip to -40 degrees and oxygen levels are 50 per cent below normal.

The 52-kilometre long Chisumle to Demchok tarmac road passes through the 19,024 feet high Umlingla Pass and betters the previous record of a road in Bolivia, which connects volcano Uturuncu at 18,953 feet.

The Umlingla Pass road is another landmark in resurgent India's achievement as it has been constructed at an altitude higher than the North and South Base Camps of Mount Everest which are at an altitude of 16,900 feet and 17,598 feet respectively.

The strategically important road is approximately 15 kilometres long and connects the important towns in the Chumar sector of Eastern Ladakh.