https://sputniknews.in/20230410/strategic-tunnel-providing-indian-army-all-weather-access-to-ladakh-inches-towards-completion-1492309.html
Strategic Tunnel Providing Indian Army All-Weather Access to Ladakh Inches Towards Completion
Strategic Tunnel Providing Indian Army All-Weather Access to Ladakh Inches Towards Completion
Sputnik India
The National Highway connecting Ladakh to Indian-administered Kashmir remains inaccessible for several months due to heavy snow during winter.
2023-04-10T19:28+0530
2023-04-10T19:28+0530
2023-04-10T19:28+0530
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The under-construction Zojila Tunnel, a strategic tunnel that would provide the Indian Armed Forces with all-weather access to Ladakh, a key region located close to its northern border with China and Pakistan, is inching towards completion and could open for defense forces next year.Federal Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday inspected the progress of the tunnel before stating that once completed, it will reduce the time to cross the Zojila Pass from more than three hours to 20 min.While the 13-kilometer-long tunnel that will connect Kashmir's Sonmarg to the Kargil district in Ladakh is officially scheduled to open to the public in 2026, local media reported military vehicles could use it in 2024.Almost 30 percent of the work on the horseshoe-shaped, two-lane road tunnel has been completed so far.Why is Zojila Tunnel Crucial For Indian Army?Located at an altitude of 11,578 feet above sea level, the Zojila Tunnel is crucial to India's security needs, as the country lacks all-weather connectivity to Ladakh during the harsh winter months of October to February.During these five months, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is employed to replenish supplies for troops guarding its northern frontier with China and Pakistan.The tunnel will also allow the Indian Army to mobilize soldiers more quickly, especially during times of military stand-offs like the ones it is currently engaged in with China.The Armies of the two Asian giants have remained on the Ladakh border since 5 May 2020 after a violent clash between the troops of the two countries erupted in the Pangong Lake area there.Though the forces have disengaged from multiple friction points on the contested border in Ladakh, including the north and south banks of Pangong Lake and Gogra-Hotsprings, the stand-off in the regions of Depsang and Demchok still remains.
https://sputniknews.in/20230317/indian-army-chief-hopeful-of-resolving-ladakh-standoff-through-diplomacy-1205798.html
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Strategic Tunnel Providing Indian Army All-Weather Access to Ladakh Inches Towards Completion
Sputnik India
Strategic Tunnel Providing Indian Army All-Weather Access to Ladakh Inches Towards Completion
2023-04-10T19:28+0530
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Strategic Tunnel Providing Indian Army All-Weather Access to Ladakh Inches Towards Completion
The National Highway connecting Ladakh to Indian-administered Kashmir remains inaccessible for several months due to heavy snow during winter.
The under-construction Zojila Tunnel, a strategic tunnel that would provide the Indian Armed Forces with all-weather access to Ladakh, a key region located close to its northern border with China and Pakistan, is inching towards completion and could open for defense forces next year.
Federal Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday inspected the progress of the tunnel before stating that once completed, it will reduce the time to cross the Zojila Pass from more than three hours to 20 min.
"With the construction of this tunnel, there will be all-weather connectivity for Ladakh. Now the average travel time to cross the Zojila Pass sometimes takes three hours, after the completion of this tunnel the travel time will come down to 20.0 minutes," the minister tweeted.
While the 13-kilometer-long tunnel that will connect Kashmir's Sonmarg to the Kargil district in Ladakh is officially scheduled to open to the public in 2026, local media reported military vehicles could use it in 2024.
Almost 30 percent of the work on the horseshoe-shaped, two-lane road tunnel has been completed so far.
Why is Zojila Tunnel Crucial For Indian Army?
Located at an altitude of 11,578 feet above sea level, the Zojila Tunnel is crucial to India's security needs, as the country lacks all-weather connectivity to Ladakh during the harsh winter months of October to February.
During these five months, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is employed to replenish supplies for troops guarding its northern frontier with China and Pakistan.
The tunnel will also allow the Indian Army to mobilize soldiers more quickly, especially during times of military stand-offs like the ones it is currently engaged in with China.
The Armies of the two Asian giants have remained on the Ladakh border since 5 May 2020 after a violent clash between the troops of the two countries erupted in the Pangong Lake area there.
Though the forces have disengaged from multiple friction points on the contested border in Ladakh, including the north and south banks of Pangong Lake and Gogra-Hotsprings, the stand-off in the regions of Depsang and Demchok still remains.
