Govt clears ₹1,000-cr BRO tunnel under Shinkun La in Ladakh

The Union Defence Ministry has tasked the Border Roads Organisation to build a 4.25-km tunnel at ₹1,000 crore under the 5,091-metre-high Shinkun La pass to make an all-weather axis from Manali in Himachal to Leh via Darcha-Padun-Nimmu to supply Indian Army formations in the Ladakh sector. The tunnel is expected to be completed by 2024. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the top officials of his ministry decided in favour of the BRO instead of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), which was recommending an altogether new road alignment with a 13.5-km tunnel under Shinkun La. After looking into the presentations made by BRO and NHIDCL, the Defence Ministry decided in favour of the shorter tunnel.The NHIDCL has been preparing a detailed project report of the project since 2017, before the Chinese Army transgressed into Ladakh in May 2020. The total cost of the BRO tunnel construction will entail less investment due to the simple design and requirement of basic electromechanical fittings. The tunnel will have longitudinal ventilation using banana fans, which require minimum electricity and operational costs. The Darcha-Padum-Nimmu road is 297-km long with 100-km already converted into the double lane and black-topped by the BRO last year at the height of India-China border skirmish. While the distance between Manali and Leh will remain the same with the new road, the axis will remain totally snow-free round the year and allow movement of both troops and equipment to feed Ladakh, Kargil and Siachen sectors.