Overview
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated and dedicated five integrated projects in Ladakh on Thursday, Oct 15, formally opening a new Leh airport terminal, the 298‑km Nimmu‑Padum‑Darcha Road, the 9 MW Hanu hydro plant with a 66 kV transmission line, India's first Petroglyph Conservation Park at Sindhu Ghat, and 40 water bodies under Project Him Sarovar.
- The new Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport terminal was built for about Rs 640–650 crore, covers roughly 23,800 sq m, uses geothermal and solar systems for heating and power efficiency, and is designed to increase annual passenger capacity from about 1 million to 3.5 million.
- The Border Roads Organisation‑built Nimmu‑Padum‑Darcha route is presented as an alternative corridor to Ladakh that cuts travel time across the Zanskar Valley and is intended to strengthen operational mobility and logistics support for the armed forces.
- Energy and water upgrades include the 9 MW Hanu small hydroelectric project and the 66 kV Dah‑Hanu‑Khaltsi line to improve local generation and transmission, plus 40 village reservoirs under Him Sarovar to store seasonal runoff for irrigation and reduce sowing‑season shortages.
- Officials said the projects aim to boost tourism, farming and local services, and to expand education and technology access for Ladakh’s youth as part of a broader push to develop the Union Territory since 2019.