Govt announces 6 new tunnels in Ladakh and J&K

To shore up road infrastructure along the border with China, the Union transport minister has announced the construction of half a dozen new tunnels in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh that would help in ensuring the quicker movement of troops and machines including reinforcements to the area in hours of any border crisis. Gadkari informed that the detailed project reports (DPRs) of 10.2 km Singpora-Vailoo tunnel on Kishtwar-Anantnag road, two tunnels of 8 km long each on Sudhmahadev-Goha-Khelani stretch and a 2.4 km tunnel at Khelani bypass in J&K have been prepared. Four major tunnels with a combined length of nearly 45 km on Manali-Leh have been planned. These include a 12.7 km tunnel at Shinkun La and three more at Lachung La (12 km), Taglang La (10 km) and Baralacha-La (10 km). The construction work on these tunnels will make the connectivity between Manali and Leh seamless round the year. NHIDCL sources informed that under the direction of road transport and highways ministry, the agency is currently conducting an airborne electromagnetic survey using specialized helicopters through these tough terrains.