Cabinet approves construction of Shinku La Tunnel to provide all weather connectivity in Ladakh

Tags: National National News

The Union Cabinet on 15 February approved the construction of the 4.1-km Shinkun La tunnel on the Nimu-Padam-Darcha road link to provide all-weather connectivity to the border areas of Ladakh.

An overview of the news

• The Cabinet Committee on Security approved the construction of the tunnel which will provide all-weather connectivity to the Ladakh region with the rest of the country.

• The tunnel will be completed by December 2025 at a cost of Rs 1,681 crore.

• Another Zojila tunnel is also under construction which is on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway.

About Shinku La Tunnel

• The Shinku-La tunnel will be constructed over the Shinku La Pass at a height of 16,580 feet.

• Shinku La is a mountain pass on the border of Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh.

• It connects the Zanskar valley of Leh-Ladakh to Lahaul in Himachal Pradesh.

• It is situated to the north of Rohtang Pass.

• The length of the tunnel will be 4.1 km.

• It will be built by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) under Project Yojkar.

Significance

• The Shinku La tunnel will provide all-weather road connectivity to Ladakh and will be the shortest route to the border areas of the union territory.

• This will lead to all-round development of the region and boost tourism, health and education sectors.

• This project is also very important from the point of view of strategic and national security.

• This will also help in the movement of security forces in that area.