SHINKU LA TUNNEL

Description

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Context

The Union Cabinet gave its nod for the construction of the 4.1-km Shinku La tunnel on the Nimu-Padam-Darcha road link to provide all-weather connectivity to the border areas of Ladakh.

The Tunnel

Shinku-La Tunnel, also known as Shinkula Tunnel or Shingo-La Tunnel, is a planned motorable tunnel linking Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul Valley and Ladakh’s Zanskar Valley in Northern India.
The Shinku La tunnel is a part of Project Yojak. This project is implemented by BRO. The main objective of the project is to make sure Manali – Leh route is accessible all through the year.

Further Details

The Ministry of Defence is creating Darcha-Shinkula-Padum-Nimu as an alternate road to connect Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh through the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
It’d be the third route connecting Ladakh to the main place, following the Manali-Sarchu-Leh and Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highways.
After the Shinku-la tunnel is completed, the Darcha-Padum-Nimu or Manali-Padum-Nimu path would become all-weather travel road which would be really the safest and most efficient method of reaching Leh.
Shinkula pass will be the only pass on this new road because the Atal Tunnel, Rohtang, has skirted the 13,050ft high Rohtang pass. The Darcha-Padum-Nimu route, unlike the Manali-Sarchu-Leh highway, has only one mountain pass — Shinkula pass.

Significance

Strategic Importance

This new Shinku La Tunnel route will make military movement easier even during the winter months. Otherwise, for five to seven months a year, both the Manali-Leh and Srinagar-Leh highways are closed due to heavy snowfall.
Atal tunnel is now the world’s longest roadway tunnel above 10,000 feet. Shinku-la tunnel will be the world’s longest high-altitude highway tunnel if completed.
Nimu is located 35 kilometres from Leh and 185 kilometres from Kargil. Along the Manali-Sarchu-Leh route, Darcha is 100 kilometres from Manali (through the Atal Tunnel).

Connectivity

It will help connect the Ladakh area, especially the Zanskar valley, with the entire country.
It reduces the travel time between Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh.