Modi Inaugurates Rs 3,350 Crore Projects in Ladakh Including New Leh Airport Terminal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated five development projects in Ladakh on 15 October 2026 through video conferencing. The package totals around Rs 3,350 crore and covers airport capacity, strategic road links, small hydropower, archaeological protection and water storage.

The largest single item is the new passenger terminal at Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport in Leh, built for Rs 640 crore. It spans 23,800 square metres and is designed for 3.5 million passengers a year, up from roughly one million. The terminal uses geothermal heating, the first such system at an Indian airport. Modi said flight operations can increase up to three times and that the facility will support tourism while limiting the environmental impact.

He also dedicated the 298-km Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road constructed by the Border Roads Organisation. The route links Nimmu in Leh with Darcha in Himachal Pradesh through the Zanskar Valley. Travel time on that stretch falls from about 12 hours to three hours. The road costs roughly Rs 2,500 crore and provides an alternative to the Srinagar-Leh and Manali-Leh highways. It improves access for residents of Zanskar and logistical support for the armed forces.

In the energy sector, Modi opened the 9 MW Hanu Small Hydroelectric Project and the 66 kV double-circuit Dah-Hanu-Khaltsi transmission line. Both aim to raise local generation and strengthen the grid in a region with limited connectivity. Forty water bodies under Project Him Sarovar were also handed over. India’s first Petroglyph Conservation Park at Sindhu Ghat in Leh protects prehistoric rock carvings.

Modi said Ladakh’s road network has grown from 1,800 km to more than 4,000 km since 2019, major bridges from 19 to nearly 75, and helipads from seven to over 40. Tap-water coverage has risen from 3.5 percent to nearly 99 percent of households. He noted proposals for satellite campuses of IIT Jammu and IIM Jammu so local youth can study without leaving the region. Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena and Border Roads Organisation officials attended the event in Leh.

The projects form part of a series of infrastructure announcements for the Union Territory. Officials have not published a detailed cost-benefit analysis or construction timelines for each component beyond the figures given at the inauguration.