Pilgrims will soon be able to visit Kailash-Mansarovar by car as Rs 60 crore has been sanctioned by the Centre to upgrade the border road from Ghatiabagar to Lipulekh into a metalled one, Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said.

Making the announcement at the concluding ceremony of a religious festival at the high-altitude Gunji village in Pithoragarh district on Sunday, Bhatt said the metalled road will not only help defence personnel reach border outposts quickly but also help tourists reach the unique place.

Gunji is a border village located on the way to Kailash-Mansarovar at a height of 10,000 ft in Vyas Valley of the Dharchula subdivision in Pithoragarh.

"In the coming days, this area will emerge as the most favoured border tourism destination," he said.

"The road network at the Indo-China border will also help locals settle in their villages to run homestay and other tourism-related businesses," the Union minister added.

The minister also praised the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for laying the road network in difficult terrains.

"The BRO has constructed a border road at Om Lingla located at a height of 19,300 ft in Ladakh," he said.