Other Roads

The photograph shows the Khardung La Pass in Ladakh, a high-altitude mountain pass that is snow-covered and crowded with people. In the foreground stands a tall, dark pole, and a white signboard is clearly visible, reading "WORLD'S HIGHEST MOTORABLE ROAD." The image captures the pass as a site of human activity and achievement, not just a remote geographical feature.

This figure appears in the section on "Other Roads," which discusses the work of the Border Road Organisation (BRO). The BRO was established in 1960 to build and maintain strategically important roads along India's northern and north-eastern borders. One of its key projects is the road connecting Chandigarh to Manali and Leh, which runs at an average altitude of 4,270 metres above sea level. Khardung La Pass lies on this route, and the photograph illustrates the extreme conditions under which the BRO operates — snow, high altitude, and rugged terrain.

The signboard's claim of being the "world's highest motorable road" is a direct reference to the BRO's engineering achievement. The pass itself is a critical link for defence and economic development in Ladakh, allowing vehicular movement even in harsh winters. The crowd in the photograph suggests that the pass is also a tourist attraction and a point of pride, reinforcing the BRO's role in connecting remote regions and boosting local economies. …

The photograph shows a modern, air-conditioned coach bus parked in front of a large, ornate gateway. The gateway is the Wagah Border crossing, the only road border crossing between India and Pakistan in the Punjab region. The bus is painted in bright colours and its front destination board, visible above the windscreen, clearly displays two city names: LAHORE on one side and DELHI on the other. A small circled number '1' is placed on the photograph, likely to point out the destination board as the key detail.

This bus is the Delhi–Lahore Bus service, a flagship international road link between the two countries. The image is placed in the textbook section titled "Other Roads," specifically under the subheading "International Highways." The caption and the surrounding text make the point clear: this bus service is an example of an international highway — a road link designed to promote harmonious relations with a neighbouring country. The bus itself is the physical symbol of that connection, parked at the very point where the two nations meet. …

The photograph shows a large stone gateway arch, clearly labelled "AMAN SETU" in English and "अमन सेतु" in Hindi. A dense crowd of people is gathered beneath and around the arch, suggesting a ceremonial or celebratory moment. A small circled number "2" is visible on the panel, likely a textbook annotation pointing to this figure for reference.

This image illustrates the concept of International Highways — roads built to connect India with neighbouring countries and promote cross-border harmony. The Aman Setu (literally "Peace Bridge") is a pedestrian bridge that spans the Line of Control between Baramula in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. It was opened in 2005 as a confidence-building measure, allowing limited movement across the border.

The figure sits alongside the photograph of the Delhi–Lahore bus at Wagah Border (Fig. 7.4) in the textbook section discussing "Other Roads" — specifically, the role of international highways in fostering peaceful relations. While the Aman Setu is not a highway in the conventional sense, it serves the same diplomatic purpose: providing a physical link that enables people-to-people contact between the two countries.