Shinkun La pass: BRO tunnel gets green signal from Defence Ministry

20 May 2021 CW Team

The Ministry of Defence has cleared the 4.25 km Border Roads Organisation (BRO) tunnel under the 5,091 m high Shinkun La pass towards an all-weather strategic Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road, to support supplies to Indian military formations in the Ladakh sector.

The new arrangement will be the third axis to Ladakh. As compared to the Srinagar-ZojiLa-Kargil axis and Manali-Upshi-Leh axis this new alignment will be least exposed to the adversary. This snow-free axis is anticipated to be completed by 2024.

The existing Manali-Sarchu-Upshi-Leh road runs over four high mountain passes of around 5,000 m in height even after the construction of the Atal tunnel and remains snowed for three to four months during the winter.

As per the sources, Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh and topmost officials decided in support of the BRO proposal instead of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), which was advising an entirely new road alignment with a 13.5 km tunnel under Shinku La.

A defence ministry official told the media that in March 2021 both BRO and NHIDCL made presentations before the minister. After analysing both the proposals, the defence ministry has decided in favour of a shorter tunnel.

It is noted that the total value of the BRO tunnel construction will be nearby Rs 1,000 crore due to the simple design and requirement of basic electromechanical fittings. The 4.25 km tunnel will have longitudinal ventilation using banana fans, which require minimum electricity and operational price.

The new axis will remain snow-free the entire year providing movement of both troops and equipment to serve Ladakh, Kargil, and Siachen sectors.

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