Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road - Revision history

Meraki03: slightly enhanced information based on references and improved wording

2025-11-07T05:36:47Z

slightly enhanced information based on references and improved wording

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← Older revision		Revision as of 16:49, 10 December 2022
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	\| width = 230		\| width = 230
	\| height = 410		\| height = 410
	\| caption = <center>Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road{{efn\|The border is marked by the OpenStreetMap editors and may not be accurate.}}~~</center>~~		\| caption = {{center\|Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road{{efn\|The border is marked by the OpenStreetMap editors and may not be accurate.}}}}
	\| minimap = file		\| minimap = file
	\| mini-file = India Jammu and Kashmir location map.svg		\| mini-file = India Jammu and Kashmir location map.svg
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	== History ==		== History ==
	The Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road traverses the historic winter route, also called the ''Zamistānee'' route, used by the trading caravans between Leh and Yarkand. Whereas the summer route would cross the Ladakh Range through the difficult [[Sasser Pass]] to reach the Shyok River valley, the winter route used to go via the banks of the Shyok River when the water flow would be much reduced and the frozen river surface could be crossed on foot as needed.<ref>{{citation \|first=G. W. \|last=Hayward \|title=Journey from Leh to Yarkand and Kaghgar, and Exploration of the Sources of the Yarkana River \|journal=The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ojs7AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA33 \|year=1870 \|page=33}}</ref><ref>{{citation \|last=Warikoo \|first=K. \|chapter=India’s gateway to Central Asia: trans-Himalayan trade and cultural movements through Kashmir and Ladakh, 1846–1947 \|editor-first=K. \|editor-last=Warikoo \|title=Himalayan Frontiers of India: Historical, Geo-Political and Strategic Perspectives \|date=2009 \|publisher=Routledge \|~~ISBN~~=978-1-134-03294-5 \|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w_Z8AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1 \|page=1}}: "Those traders and passersby who opted to travel to Yarkand in winter would cross Digar La and follow the narrow and winding valleys of the Shyok river. This river, which was frozen during winter, was to be crossed and re-crossed several times."</ref>		The Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road traverses the historic winter route, also called the ''Zamistānee'' route, used by the trading caravans between Leh and Yarkand. Whereas the summer route would cross the Ladakh Range through the difficult [[Sasser Pass]] to reach the Shyok River valley, the winter route used to go via the banks of the Shyok River when the water flow would be much reduced and the frozen river surface could be crossed on foot as needed.<ref>{{citation \|first=G. W. \|last=Hayward \|title=Journey from Leh to Yarkand and Kaghgar, and Exploration of the Sources of the Yarkana River \|journal=The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ojs7AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA33 \|year=1870 \|page=33}}</ref><ref>{{citation \|last=Warikoo \|first=K. \|chapter=India’s gateway to Central Asia: trans-Himalayan trade and cultural movements through Kashmir and Ladakh, 1846–1947 \|editor-first=K. \|editor-last=Warikoo \|title=Himalayan Frontiers of India: Historical, Geo-Political and Strategic Perspectives \|date=2009 \|publisher=Routledge \|isbn=978-1-134-03294-5 \|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w_Z8AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1 \|page=1}}: "Those traders and passersby who opted to travel to Yarkand in winter would cross Digar La and follow the narrow and winding valleys of the Shyok river. This river, which was frozen during winter, was to be crossed and re-crossed several times."</ref>

	Proceeding on the right (western) bank of the Shyok River up to Sultan Chhushku, the route crossed the river to the eastern bank, and followed the valley of Murgo Nala to reach the village of [[Murgo]]. Here, the summer route also joined the winter route after crossing the Shyok River near Saser Brangsa. From here, the joint route followed [[Burtsa Nala]] and [[Depsang Nala]] to reach the [[Depsang Plains]] and went on to the [[Karakoram Pass]] via [[Daulat Beg Oldi]].{{efn\|The summer caravan route is marked on the map provided by Maj. Gen. Vombatkere.<ref>Maj Gen S. G. Vombatkere, [https://www.countercurrents.org/vombatkere070513.htm A Ring-Side View Of The Chinese Incursion], Countercurrents.org, 7 May 2013.</ref>}}		Proceeding on the right (western) bank of the Shyok River up to Sultan Chhushku, the route crossed the river to the eastern bank, and followed the valley of Murgo Nala to reach the village of [[Murgo]]. Here, the summer route also joined the winter route after crossing the Shyok River near Saser Brangsa. From here, the joint route followed [[Burtsa Nala]] and [[Depsang Nala]] to reach the [[Depsang Plains]] and went on to the [[Karakoram Pass]] via [[Daulat Beg Oldi]].{{efn\|The summer caravan route is marked on the map provided by Maj. Gen. Vombatkere.<ref>Maj Gen S. G. Vombatkere, [https://www.countercurrents.org/vombatkere070513.htm A Ring-Side View Of The Chinese Incursion], Countercurrents.org, 7 May 2013.</ref>}}
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	=== Sino-Indian border dispute ===		=== Sino-Indian border dispute ===
	[[File:Chinese claim lines in Ladakh - map by CIA.png\|thumb\|right\|Chinese claim lines in Ladakh]]		[[File:Chinese claim lines in Ladakh - map by CIA.png\|thumb\|right\|Chinese claim lines in Ladakh]]
	~~[[File:Raki-Nala-LSIB-vs-Chinese-claims.jpg\|thumb\|right\|Current Chinese claims at Burtsa, compared to the line marked by the US Office of Geographer (in blue)]]~~		Near Burtsa, where the Depsang nala joins the [[Burtsa Nala]], the Line of Actual Control has been disputed by China and India.{{efn\|The terminology varies. Some writers refer to Raki nala that joins from the east as "Burtsa nala" as well. The Chinese call the river "Tiannan".}}
	Near Burtsa, where the Depsang nala ~~from the north and the Raki nala from the east join to form~~ the Burtsa ~~nala~~, the Line of Actual Control has been disputed by China and India.{{efn\|The terminology varies. Some writers refer to Raki nala that joins from the east as "Burtsa nala" as well. The Chinese call the river "Tiannan".}}

	China's 1956 claim line as well as the 1960 claim line leave the entire ~~Raki nala~~ (''Tiannan'' river in Chinese nomenclature) in Indian territory.<ref>		China's 1956 claim line as well as the 1960 claim line leave the entire Burtsa Nala (''Tiannan'' river in Chinese nomenclature) in Indian territory.<ref>
	{{citation \|last=Hoffmann \|first=Steven A. \|title=India and the China Crisis \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BpSRwC5_EPUC&pg=PA93 \|year=1990 \|publisher=University of California Press \|~~ISBN~~=978-0-520-06537-6 \|at=MAP 5. Chinese claim lines of 1956 and 1960 in the Western Sector (p. 93)}}		{{citation \|last=Hoffmann \|first=Steven A. \|title=India and the China Crisis \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BpSRwC5_EPUC&pg=PA93 \|year=1990 \|publisher=University of California Press \|isbn=978-0-520-06537-6 \|at=MAP 5. Chinese claim lines of 1956 and 1960 in the Western Sector (p. 93)}}
	</ref>		</ref>
	However, the People's Liberation Army's papers are said to document a so-called "line of actual control on 7 November 1959".<ref>		However, the People's Liberation Army's papers are said to document a so-called "line of actual control on 7 November 1959" which runs within an earshot of the DS–DBO Road.<ref>
	{{citation \|last=Hoffmann \|first=Steven A. \|title=India and the China Crisis \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BpSRwC5_EPUC&pg=PA105 \|year=1990 \|publisher=University of California Press \|~~ISBN~~=978-0-520-06537-6 \|at=MAP 6. India's forward policy, a Chinese view. (p. 105)}}		{{citation \|last=Hoffmann \|first=Steven A. \|title=India and the China Crisis \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BpSRwC5_EPUC&pg=PA105 \|year=1990 \|publisher=University of California Press \|isbn=978-0-520-06537-6 \|at=MAP 6. India's forward policy, a Chinese view. (p. 105)}}
	</ref>		</ref>
	Since [[2013 Daulat Beg Oldi incident\|2013]], they began to assert this line as the operative LAC~~. This would put the Chinese border within an earshot of the DS–DBO Road~~.<ref name="Yun Sun">		Since [[2013 Daulat Beg Oldi incident\|2013]], they began to assert this line as the operative LAC.<ref name="Yun Sun">
	Yun Sun, [https://warontherocks.com/2020/06/chinas-strategic-assessment-of-the-ladakh-clash/ China’s Strategic Assessment of the Ladakh Clash], ''War on the Rocks'', 19 June 2020.		Yun Sun, [https://warontherocks.com/2020/06/chinas-strategic-assessment-of-the-ladakh-clash/ China’s Strategic Assessment of the Ladakh Clash], ''War on the Rocks'', 19 June 2020.
	</ref>		</ref> The Chinese claim that they reached their line in [[Sino-Indian War\|1962]] and withdrew 20 kilometres as part of ceasefire, but the area was "unjustly occupied by India" in later years.<ref name="Yun Sun" />

	~~In the~~ Chinese ~~view, the LAC claimed by India is~~ that ~~of 8 September 1962, prior to the hostilities of the 1962~~ [[Sino-Indian War]]~~. The~~ area ~~between the two lines is said to have been~~ "unjustly occupied by India" in ~~the intervening~~ years.<ref name="Yun Sun"/>

	During the [[2020 China–India skirmishes\|border standoff]] in 2020, the Chinese forces again stationed themselves near ~~the junction of the Raki Nala and~~ ~~Depsang Nala (often called the~~ "Y junction" or "bottleneck") and blocked the Indian troops from patrolling to the east of it. China was claiming 250 square kilometres of new territory that India was previously accessing, while also ~~threatening~~ the DS-DBO Road.<ref>{{cite news \|title=China Gained Ground on India During Bloody Summer in Himalayas \|newspaper=Bloomberg News \|date=1 November 2020 \|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-11-01/china-gained-ground-on-india-during-bloody-summer-in-himalayas}}</ref><ref>		During the [[2020 China–India skirmishes\|border standoff]] in 2020, the Chinese forces again stationed themselves near a location called "Y-junction" or "bottleneck" in the Burtsa Nala valley, and blocked the Indian troops from patrolling to the east of it. China was claiming 250 square kilometres of new territory that India was previously accessing, while also posing threat to the DS-DBO Road.<ref>{{cite news \|title=China Gained Ground on India During Bloody Summer in Himalayas \|newspaper=Bloomberg News \|date=1 November 2020 \|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-11-01/china-gained-ground-on-india-during-bloody-summer-in-himalayas}}</ref><ref>
	{{Cite web \|last=Swami \|first=Praveen \|date=24 June 2020 \|title=As PLA Seeks to Cut Off Indian Patrol Routes on LAC, 'Bottleneck' Emerges as Roadblock in Disengagement \|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/as-pla-seeks-to-cut-off-indian-patrol-routes-on-lac-bottleneck-emerges-as-roadblock-in-disengagement-2685571.html \|access-date=26 June 2020 \|website=News18}}		{{Cite web \|last=Swami \|first=Praveen \|date=24 June 2020 \|title=As PLA Seeks to Cut Off Indian Patrol Routes on LAC, 'Bottleneck' Emerges as Roadblock in Disengagement \|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/as-pla-seeks-to-cut-off-indian-patrol-routes-on-lac-bottleneck-emerges-as-roadblock-in-disengagement-2685571.html \|access-date=26 June 2020 \|website=News18}}
	</ref>		</ref>
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	== Bibliography ==		== Bibliography ==
	* {{citation \|last=Hoffmann \|first=Steven A. \|title=India and the China Crisis \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BpSRwC5_EPUC \|year=1990 \|publisher=University of California Press \|~~ISBN~~=978-0-520-06537-6 \|p=93}}		* {{citation \|last=Hoffmann \|first=Steven A. \|title=India and the China Crisis \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BpSRwC5_EPUC \|year=1990 \|publisher=University of California Press \|isbn=978-0-520-06537-6 \|page=93}}

	== External links ==		== External links ==
	* Prateek Joshi, [https://www.cogitasia.com/indias-growing-military-footprint-in-eastern-ladakh-facing-china/ India’s Growing Military Footprint in Eastern Ladakh: Facing China], CogitAsia, Center for Strategic & International Studies, 26 July 2016.		* Prateek Joshi, [https://www.cogitasia.com/indias-growing-military-footprint-in-eastern-ladakh-facing-china/ India’s Growing Military Footprint in Eastern Ladakh: Facing China], CogitAsia, Center for Strategic & International Studies, 26 July 2016.
	* Alice G Wells, [https://prime.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/75855152/defence/why-ladakh-road-built-last-year-has-been-a-thorn-in-chinas-flesh Why Ladakh road built last year has been a thorn in China's flesh], Economic Timems Prime, 20 May 2020.		* Alice G Wells, [https://prime.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/75855152/defence/why-ladakh-road-built-last-year-has-been-a-thorn-in-chinas-flesh Why Ladakh road built last year has been a thorn in China's flesh], Economic Timems Prime, 20 May 2020.
	* {{cite web\|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/020620/amid-ladakh-standoff-with-china-india-puts-border-roads-in-fast-lane.html\|title=Amid Ladakh standoff with China, India puts border roads in fast lane}}		* {{cite web\|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/020620/amid-ladakh-standoff-with-china-india-puts-border-roads-in-fast-lane.html\|title=Amid Ladakh standoff with China, India puts border roads in fast lane\|date=2 June 2022}}

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Darbuk-Shyok-DBO Road}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Darbuk-Shyok-DBO Road}}

>DiplomatTesterMan: −Category:Border Roads Organisation; +Category:Border Roads Organisation roads using HotCat

2021-06-12T16:31:43Z

−Category:Border Roads Organisation; +Category:Border Roads Organisation roads using HotCat

New page

{{short description|Border road in India}}
{{Infobox road
| name = Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road
| alternate_name = Sub-Sector North Road
| country = IND
| districts = [[Leh district]] ([[Nubra Valley|Nubra]])
| maint = [[Border Roads Organisation]]
| marker_image =
| map =
| map_custom = yes
| length_km = 255
| length_ref = <ref name=Tribune/>
| established = April 2019
| direction_a =
| terminus_a = [[Leh]]
| junction = [[Darbuk]]<br/>Shyok
| direction_b =
| terminus_b = [[Daulat Beg Oldi]] (DBO)
| embedded = {{OSM Location map
| coord = {{coord|34.6|78.0}} 
| float = center
| zoom = 8
| width = 230
| height = 410
| caption = <center>Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road{{efn|The border is marked by the OpenStreetMap editors and may not be accurate.}}</center>
| minimap = file
| mini-file = India Jammu and Kashmir location map.svg
| mini-width = 100
| mini-height = 73
| minipog-x = 76
| minipog-y = 31
| scalemark = 120
| shape = image

| mark-coord1 = {{coord| 34.1205908|78.1034063}}
| mark1 = Red pog.svg
| mark-size1 = 6
| label1 = Darbuk
| label-size1 = 10
| label-color1 = black
| label-pos1 = left |label-offset-x1 = 0 |label-offset-y1 = 0
| mark-title1 = [[Darbuk]]
| mark-image1 =
| mark-description1 = Village in the Nubra tehsil

| mark-coord2 = {{coord|34.1780836|78.1399135}}
| mark2 = Red pog.svg
| mark-size2 = 6
| label2 = Shyok
| label-size2 = 10
| label-color2 = black
| label-pos2 = left |label-offset-x2 = 0 |label-offset-y2 = 0
| mark-title2 = Shyok village
| mark-image2 =
| mark-description2 = Village in the Nubra tehsil

| mark-coord3 = {{coord|34.4643641|78.2740544}}
| mark3 = Red pog.svg
| mark-size3 = 4
| label3 = Chhumed
| label-size3 = 10
| label-color3 = black
| label-pos3 = left |label-offset-x3 = 0 |label-offset-y3 = 0
| mark-title3 = Chhumed
| mark-image3 =
| mark-description3 = Campsite of the old caravan route

| mark-coord4 = {{coord|34.6095461|78.1872189}}
| mark4 = Red pog.svg
| mark-size4 = 4
| label4 = Mundro
| label-size4 = 10
| label-color4 = black
| label-pos4 = left |label-offset-x4 = 0 |label-offset-y4 = 0
| mark-title4 = Mundro
| mark-image4 =
| mark-description4 = Campsite of the old caravan route

| mark-coord5 = {{coord|34.7015420|78.1471681}}
| mark5 = Red pog.svg
| mark-size5 = 4
| label5 = Mandaltang
| label-size5 = 10
| label-color5 = black
| label-pos5 = left |label-offset-x5 = 0 |label-offset-y5 = 0
| mark-title5 = Mandaltang
| mark-image5 =
| mark-description5 = Campsite of the old caravan route

| mark-coord6 = {{coord|34.9637458|78.0026936}}
| mark6 = Red pog.svg
| mark-size6 = 4
| label6 = Sultan |labela6 = Chhushku
| label-size6 = 10
| label-color6 = black
| label-pos6 = left |label-offset-x6 = 0 |label-offset-y6 = 0
| mark-title6 = Sultan Chhushku
| mark-image6 =
| mark-description6 = Campsite of the old caravan route

| mark-coord7 = {{coord|35.0414263|77.9373021}}
| mark7 = Red pog.svg
| mark-size7 = 6
| label7 = Murgo
| label-size7 = 10
| label-color7 = black
| label-pos7 = right |label-offset-x7 = 0 |label-offset-y7 = 0
| mark-title7 = [[Murgo]]
| mark-image7 =
| mark-description7 = Village in the Nubra tehsil

| mark-coord8 = {{coord|35.1199040|78.0379510}}
| mark8 = Red pog.svg
| mark-size8 = 6
| label8 = Burtsa |labela8 =
| label-size8 = 10
| label-color8 = black
| label-pos8 = left |label-offset-x8 = 0 |label-offset-y8 = 0
| mark-title8 = Burtsa Gongma
| mark-image8 =
| mark-description8 = Old campsite and current border force barracks

| mark-coord9 = {{coord| 35.2330663|77.9781827}}
| mark9 = Red pog.svg
| mark-size9 = 6
| label9 = Qizil Langar |labela9 =
| label-size9 = 10
| label-color9 = black
| label-pos9 = left |label-offset-x9 = 0 |label-offset-y9 = 0
| mark-title9 = Qizil Langar
| mark-image9 =
| mark-description9 = Old campsite and current border force barracks

| mark-coord10 = {{coord|35.2873800|77.9653361}}
| mark10 = Red pog.svg
| mark-size10 = 6
| label10 = Track Jn. |labela10 =
| label-size10 = 10
| label-color10 = black
| label-pos10 = left |label-offset-x10 = 0 |label-offset-y10 = 0
| mark-title10 = Track Junction
| mark-image10 =
| mark-description10 = Indian border force camp

| mark-coord11 = {{coord|35.3914432|77.9211371}}
| mark11 = Red pog.svg
| mark-size11 = 6
| label11 = DBO |labela11 =
| label-size11 = 10
| label-color11 = black
| label-pos11 = top |label-offset-x11 = 0 |label-offset-y11 = 0
| mark-title11 = Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO)
| mark-image11 =
| mark-description11 = Indian Army base with an Advanced Landing Ground


| mark-coord12 = {{coord|34.3699|77.7894}}
| mark12 = AS-rzeka-icon.svg
| mark-size12 = 10
| label12 = Shyok |labela12 = River
| label-size12 = 12
| label-color12 = hard blue
| label-pos12 = left
| mark-title12 = [[Shyok River]] flowing north
| mark-image12 =
| mark-description12 = Tributary of the Indus River

| mark-coord13 = {{coord|34.8375|78.1416}}
| mark13 = AS-rzeka-icon.svg
| mark-size13 = 10
| label13 = |labela13 =
| label-size13 = 10
| label-color13 = hard blue
| label-pos13 = top
| mark-title13 = [[Shyok River]] flowing south
| mark-image13 =
| mark-description13 = Tributary of the Indus River

| mark-coord14 = {{coord|35.1596|77.7118}}
| mark14 = AS-rzeka-icon.svg
| mark-size14 = 10
| label14 = |labela14 =
| label-size14 = 12
| label-color14 = hard blue
| label-pos14 = left
| mark-title14 = [[Shyok River]] flowing north
| mark-image14 =
| mark-description14 = Tributary of the Indus River

| mark-coord15 = {{coord|34.288|78.544}} 
| mark15 = AS-rzeka-icon.svg
| mark-size15 = 10
| label15 = Chang |labela15 = Chenmo
| label-size15 = 10
| label-color15 = hard blue
| label-pos15 = top |label-offset-x15 = -10 |label-offset-y15 = 0
| mark-title15 = [[Changchenmo River]]
| mark-image15 =
| mark-description15 = Tributary of the Shyok River

| mark-coord16 = {{coord|34.6605|78.5413}}
| mark16 = AS-rzeka-icon.svg
| mark-size16 = 10
| label16 = Galwan |labela16 = River
| label-size16 = 10
| label-color16 = hard blue
| label-pos16 = left
| mark-title16 = [[Galwan River]]
| mark-image16 =
| mark-description16 = Tributary of the Shyok River

| mark-coord18 = {{coord|35.156|78.1612}}
| mark18 = AS-rzeka-icon.svg
| mark-size18 = 10
| label18 = Raki Nala
| label-size18 = 10
| label-color18 = hard blue
| label-pos18 = right
| mark-title18 = Raki Nala
| mark-image18 =
| mark-description18 = Tributary of the Shyok River

| mark-coord19 = {{coord|35.0305|78.3477}}
| mark19 = AS-rzeka-icon.svg
| mark-size19 = 10
| label19 = Jeong |labela19 = Nala
| label-size19 = 10
| label-color19 = hard blue
| label-pos19 = right
| mark-title19 = Jeong Nala
| mark-image19 =
| mark-description19 = Tributary of the Shyok River

| mark-coord20 = {{coord|35.3016|78.2704}}
| mark20 = AS-rzeka-icon.svg
| mark-size20 = 10
| label20 = Chip Chap |labela20 = River
| label-size20 = 10
| label-color20 = hard blue
| label-pos20 = top
| mark-title20 = [[Chip Chap River]]
| mark-image20 =
| mark-description20 = Tributary of the Shyok River

| mark-coord21 = {{coord|34.9504|78.5595}} 
| mark21 = AS-rzeka-icon.svg
| mark-size21 = 10
| label21 = Karakash
| label-size21 = 10
| label-color21 = hard blue
| label-pos21 = bottom |label-offset-x21 = -10 |label-offset-y21 = 0
| mark-title21 = [[Karakash River]]
| mark-image21 =
| mark-description21 = Drains into the Tarim Basin
}}
}}

The '''Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road''' (DS-DBO Road/DSDBO Road), also called the '''Sub-Sector North Road''', is a strategic all-weather road in eastern [[Ladakh]] in India, close to the [[Line of Actual Control]] with China. It connects Ladakh's capital city [[Leh]], via the villages of [[Darbuk]] and [[Shyok (village)|Shyok]] at southern [[Shyok River|Shyok River Valley]], with the [[Daulat Beg Oldi]] (DBO) post near the northern border. The 220-km long section between Shyok and DBO was constructed between 2000 and 2019 by India's [[Border Roads Organisation]] (BRO). The DS-DBO Road has reduced the travel time between Leh to DBO from 2 days to 6 hours.<ref name=Tribune>
Ajay Banerjee, [https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/nation/india-completes-vital-ladakh-road-762332 India completes vital Ladakh road], The Tribune (Chandigarh) 22 April 2019.
</ref><ref>
{{cite web |author=Nirupama Subramanian |title=Explained: The strategic road to DBO |newspaper=The Indian Express |date=16 June 2020 |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/lac-stand-off-india-china-darbuk-shyok-daulat-beg-oldie-dsdbo-road-6452997/ }}
</ref><ref name=IDR>
Lt Gen Prakash Katoch, [http://www.indiandefencereview.com/news/dsdbo-road-completed-but-what-of-the-scam-and-the-northeast/ DSDBO Road completed – but what of the scam and the northeast?], Indian Defence Review, 27 April 2019.
</ref>

== History ==
The Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road traverses the historic winter route, also called the ''Zamistānee'' route, used by the trading caravans between Leh and Yarkand. Whereas the summer route would cross the Ladakh Range through the difficult [[Sasser Pass]] to reach the Shyok River valley, the winter route used to go via the banks of the Shyok River when the water flow would be much reduced and the frozen river surface could be crossed on foot as needed.<ref>{{citation |first=G. W. |last=Hayward |title=Journey from Leh to Yarkand and Kaghgar, and Exploration of the Sources of the Yarkana River |journal=The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ojs7AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA33 |year=1870 |page=33}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Warikoo |first=K. |chapter=India’s gateway to Central Asia: trans-Himalayan trade and cultural movements through Kashmir and Ladakh, 1846–1947 |editor-first=K. |editor-last=Warikoo |title=Himalayan Frontiers of India: Historical, Geo-Political and Strategic Perspectives |date=2009 |publisher=Routledge |ISBN=978-1-134-03294-5 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w_Z8AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1 |page=1}}: "Those traders and passersby who opted to travel to Yarkand in winter would cross Digar La and follow the narrow and winding valleys of the Shyok river. This river, which was frozen during winter, was to be crossed and re-crossed several times."</ref>

Proceeding on the right (western) bank of the Shyok River up to Sultan Chhushku, the route crossed the river to the eastern bank, and followed the valley of Murgo Nala to reach the village of [[Murgo]]. Here, the summer route also joined the winter route after crossing the Shyok River near Saser Brangsa. From here, the joint route followed [[Burtsa Nala]] and [[Depsang Nala]] to reach the [[Depsang Plains]] and went on to the [[Karakoram Pass]] via [[Daulat Beg Oldi]].{{efn|The summer caravan route is marked on the map provided by Maj. Gen. Vombatkere.<ref>Maj Gen S. G. Vombatkere, [https://www.countercurrents.org/vombatkere070513.htm A Ring-Side View Of The Chinese Incursion], Countercurrents.org, 7 May 2013.</ref>}}

== Route ==
The BRO road begins near the village of Shyok, which is the on the west bank of the [[Shyok River]] after its V-shaped bend. Shyok already has roads leading west, to [[Leh]] via Darbuk, and south, leading to [[Pangong Tso]]. The BRO road crosses the Shyok river to its right bank and rounds the corner, continuing along its right bank due north (on the west side of the river bed).

After passing the historic campsites of Chhumed, Mundro and Mandaltang, it crosses the river near Sultan Chhushku. A 430-metre-long bridge over the full width of the river bed has been constructed and named the 'Colonel Chewang Rinchen Setu'.{{efn|The bridge has been named after a hero of Ladakh, [[Chewang Rinchen]], who organised the Ladakhi resistance to the [[Gilgit Scouts]] invasion during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]]. He received [[Maha Vir Chakra]], India's second highest military honour, twice in his life time.<ref>PTI, [https://www.news18.com/news/india/indias-highest-altitude-all-weather-permanent-bridge-in-eastern-ladakh-inaugurated-by-rajnath-singh-2355585.html India's Highest Altitude All-weather Permanent Bridge Inaugurated by Rajnath Singh in Eastern Ladakh], News18, 21 October 2019.</ref>}}

After the Setu, the road goes through the valley of Murgo Nala to reach the village of [[Murgo]], then the valley of Burtsa Nala to reach the camping site of Burtsa, and then Depsang nala to pass by Qizil Langar, close to the [[Line of Actual Control]] with China. After Qizil Langar, the road enters the [[Depsang Plains]] on a more or less straight route to the Dault Beg Oldi.<ref>{{citation |last=Kapadia |first=Harish |title=The High Altitude Golf Courses |journal=The Himalayan Journal |year=2001| url=https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/57/13/the-high-altitude-golf-courses/}}</ref>

=== Sino-Indian border dispute ===
[[File:Chinese claim lines in Ladakh - map by CIA.png|thumb|right|Chinese claim lines in Ladakh]]
[[File:Raki-Nala-LSIB-vs-Chinese-claims.jpg|thumb|right|Current Chinese claims at Burtsa, compared to the line marked by the US Office of Geographer (in blue)]]
Near Burtsa, where the Depsang nala from the north and the Raki nala from the east join to form the Burtsa nala, the Line of Actual Control has been disputed by China and India.{{efn|The terminology varies. Some writers refer to Raki nala that joins from the east as "Burtsa nala" as well. The Chinese call the river "Tiannan".}}

China's 1956 claim line as well as the 1960 claim line leave the entire Raki nala (''Tiannan'' river in Chinese nomenclature) in Indian territory.<ref>
{{citation |last=Hoffmann |first=Steven A. |title=India and the China Crisis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BpSRwC5_EPUC&pg=PA93 |year=1990 |publisher=University of California Press |ISBN=978-0-520-06537-6 |at=MAP 5. Chinese claim lines of 1956 and 1960 in the Western Sector (p. 93)}}
</ref>
However, the People's Liberation Army's papers are said to document a so-called "line of actual control on 7 November 1959".<ref>
{{citation |last=Hoffmann |first=Steven A. |title=India and the China Crisis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BpSRwC5_EPUC&pg=PA105 |year=1990 |publisher=University of California Press |ISBN=978-0-520-06537-6 |at=MAP 6. India's forward policy, a Chinese view. (p. 105)}}
</ref>
Since [[2013 Daulat Beg Oldi incident|2013]], they began to assert this line as the operative LAC. This would put the Chinese border within an earshot of the DS–DBO Road.<ref name="Yun Sun">
Yun Sun, [https://warontherocks.com/2020/06/chinas-strategic-assessment-of-the-ladakh-clash/ China’s Strategic Assessment of the Ladakh Clash], ''War on the Rocks'', 19 June 2020.
</ref>

In the Chinese view, the LAC claimed by India is that of 8 September 1962, prior to the hostilities of the 1962 [[Sino-Indian War]]. The area between the two lines is said to have been "unjustly occupied by India" in the intervening years.<ref name="Yun Sun"/>

During the [[2020 China–India skirmishes|border standoff]] in 2020, the Chinese forces again stationed themselves near the junction of the Raki Nala and Depsang Nala (often called the "Y junction" or "bottleneck") and blocked the Indian troops from patrolling to the east of it. China was claiming 250 square kilometres of new territory that India was previously accessing, while also threatening the DS-DBO Road.<ref>{{cite news |title=China Gained Ground on India During Bloody Summer in Himalayas |newspaper=Bloomberg News |date=1 November 2020 |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-11-01/china-gained-ground-on-india-during-bloody-summer-in-himalayas}}</ref><ref>
{{Cite web |last=Swami |first=Praveen |date=24 June 2020 |title=As PLA Seeks to Cut Off Indian Patrol Routes on LAC, 'Bottleneck' Emerges as Roadblock in Disengagement |url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/as-pla-seeks-to-cut-off-indian-patrol-routes-on-lac-bottleneck-emerges-as-roadblock-in-disengagement-2685571.html |access-date=26 June 2020 |website=News18}}
</ref>

== Construction ==
The construction was initiated in 2000, with a revised deadline of 2014. However, in 2011, an inquiry by the Chief Technical Examiner found that three-quarters of the road had been laid on the river bed, which is unsuitable for military use. A new Border Roads Task Force from Jammu was then commissioned to realign the constructed road on higher ground and to complete it. The revamped project was scheduled for completion in 2017 but was eventually completed in April 2019. The old alignment was used in the intervening period during the winter months.<ref>
Sushant Singh, [https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/constructed-on-riverbed-road-to-china-border-being-rebuilt/ Constructed on the riverbed, the road to China border being rebuilt], The Indian Express, 4 June 2015.
</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Line of Actual Control]]
* [[India-China Border Roads]]
* [[Sino-Indian border dispute]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{citation |last=Hoffmann |first=Steven A. |title=India and the China Crisis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BpSRwC5_EPUC |year=1990 |publisher=University of California Press |ISBN=978-0-520-06537-6 |p=93}}

== External links ==
* Prateek Joshi, [https://www.cogitasia.com/indias-growing-military-footprint-in-eastern-ladakh-facing-china/ India’s Growing Military Footprint in Eastern Ladakh: Facing China], CogitAsia, Center for Strategic & International Studies, 26 July 2016.
* Alice G Wells, [https://prime.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/75855152/defence/why-ladakh-road-built-last-year-has-been-a-thorn-in-chinas-flesh Why Ladakh road built last year has been a thorn in China's flesh], Economic Timems Prime, 20 May 2020.
* {{cite web|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/020620/amid-ladakh-standoff-with-china-india-puts-border-roads-in-fast-lane.html|title=Amid Ladakh standoff with China, India puts border roads in fast lane}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Darbuk-Shyok-DBO Road}}
[[Category:Roads in Ladakh]]
[[Category:Transport in Leh]]
[[Category:Border Roads Organisation roads]]