Naysa Shrivastava, Pune
On 26th July, PM Modi carried out the ‘first blast’ virtually for the to-be highest tunnel, Shinku La, in Ladakh. The tunnel is being constructed to develop all-weather connectivity between Manali in Himachal Pradesh and Leh. The project includes the construction of a 4.1 Km, twin-tube double lane tunnel at an altitude of 15,800 feet on the Nimmu-Padam-Darcha axis.
The ‘first blast’ implies the onset of the tunnel’s construction. The PM conducted the first blast virtually from Dras, where he went to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers on 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas. The tunnel will be the world’s highest tunnel leaving behind China’s Mila Tunnel, which is 15,590 feet. The tunnel will take 4 years to be developed completely.
“The tunnel aims to not only provide smooth mobility of armed forces and equipment but also encourage economic and social growth in Ladakh,” PMO told India Today. It will also decrease the distance between Manali and Leh by 60 Km. It was 355 Km and after the tunnel it will be 295 Km. It is like another medium to the Manali-Leh and Srinagar-Leh routes. The characteristics of the tunnel include Mechanical Ventilation System, Communication System, Fire Fighting System and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Systems. The tunnel will also connect the Lahaul Valley of Himachal Pradesh and the Zanskar Valley of Ladakh.
The Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road is significant because it’s shorter than the other axes and cuts only 16,665 ft Shinku La pass. The construction began amidst the military standoff between China and India in the east part of Ladakh, it’s been the fifth consecutive year with no signs of resolvement along with LAC (Line of Actual Control) but negotiations are still going on.
The project is headed by Board Road Organisation (BRO) and the estimated cost for the construction is 1,681 crore, each tube of the tunnel will contain cross-passages every 500 metres for safety. BRO has been allotted a capital amount of Rs. 6,500 crore in the budget 2024-25 for defence. This is an increment of 30% in the defence budget in comparison to last year budget allocations and 160% higher than the budget of FY 2021-22.The tunnel is essential for the national security in sensitive regions like Kargil, Siachen and LOC (Line of Control).