I have just returned from Zanskar and having just rafted the Zanskar river I can report that progress on the chaddar road continues to be painfully slow. At the Zanskar end the road-head is now 1.5KM downriver of Tserac Do (the Oma Chu junction). At the Chilling end the road-head is around 1.5KM downriver of Tilad Do (the Kharnak river junction). This leaves around 50KM of gorge untouched and at the present rate of progress I would optimistically estimate a good ten to fifteen years before completion (probably more). Having rafted the river with a HIMANK crew in 2004 I recall watching their optimism drain out of the boat as rounding bend upon bend revealed either formidable cliffs or steep loose scree. The project is ambitious to say the least, I don't doubt that it will be completed at some point, but I wouldn't like to say when. The chaddar is however getting shorter, especially at the Chilling end where the road is already making the journey much easier/quicker.
A common belief in Zanskar is that relations with Pakistan have to deteriorate before construction speeds up. One must also remember that the current road plans were conceived under a BJP government and priorities have since changed.


Black topping 0.5KM downriver of Tserac Do


The true road-head 1.5 KM downriver of Tserac Do. You can see three yellow generators in the U-cut.