Within a week of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led cabinet approving the key Shinkun La tunnel to connect Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, the Border Roads Organization (BRO) has shown momentum and on Thursday invited bids for the project . The BRO has said that the project will cost Rs 1,504 crore and a timeline of four years has been fixed for its completion.
This strategic project will consist of one-directional two-lane twin tunnels of 4.1 km length (total length 8.2 km) and cross way of 400 m and an access road of about 2.4 km which together will provide all weather road to Xincun La . It will connect National Highway 03 and Zanskar Valley on the Darcha-Padam Road (NH-301). Darcha is a small village on the Manali-Leh highway, about 25 km from Keylong, the district headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti. Padam is the district headquarters of Zanskar, Ladakh.
The project is significant as it will allow all-weather connectivity to the UT of Ladakh for movement of troops, arms and ammunition, at a time when tensions with China are on the rise since 2020. The Shinkun La tunnel will be the shortest route. The Hindustan Times, a border region in Ladakh, reported last week that this road is important as it is protected from both Pakistani and Chinese long-range artillery/missile firing, unlike the Srinagar-Kargil highway near the LoC and the Manali-Leh highway near the LAC. .
A senior government official told News18 that the BRO has specified a time frame of four years in its bid document, but efforts will be made to expedite the project to complete it by 2025, as announced after the cabinet last week . The project is important for rapid deployment of forces in case of emergency along the LAC or LoC and hence BRO has been entrusted with the task of building the tunnel on priority.
Tunnel Features
The tunnel will be equipped with various safety installations such as emergency stations and water supply will be provided at least every 150 metres. Other features include road signage and traffic signals, public announcement system, control center with CCTV and 24×7 surveillance, emergency power supply, traffic management and patrolling, and a tunnel longitudinal ventilation system.
Two tubes with unidirectional traffic are being chosen as the design for the tunnel against a single tube solution with bi-directional traffic because unidirectional traffic reduces the risk of accidents. Unidirectional traffic is also favorable for the operation of ventilation systems because the piston effect supports jet fans in maintaining proper air speed. The ventilation system is being designed as longitudinal ventilation.
The second tube will be the escape route and access route for emergency services and in case of damage due to accidents or human-induced incidents like sabotage in one tube, as the rest of the tube will be fully operational. This is an important issue for a strategic link like Manali-Leh.
biggest picture
NH-3 is a national highway between Attari in Punjab along the India-Pakistan border and Leh in Ladakh via Manali in Himachal Pradesh. A portion of this highway crosses some high altitude mountain passes, which make it non-motorable for a significant period of the year beyond Manali, being blocked by heavy snowfall and avalanches.
It is envisaged that to serve the national interest, NH-3 should be upgraded as an all-weather road. In this regard, BRO has already completed the DPR work for Rohtang Pass Tunnel and Baralachala Pass. The completion of the Shinkun La tunnel will be a significant progress towards this goal of NH-3 being an all-weather road.
Zanskar is the southern part of the Ladakh sub-district of Kargil with its administrative center at Padam with a population of about 15,000. Road connectivity to Padam is challenging and the only motorable road is through Kargil, which was opened in the 1980s. It takes two days to reach Padam from Leh or Srinagar.
From the Manali side, there used to be a trekking trail from Darcha to Padam via Shinkun La before the BRO converted it into a motorable road. The connection from Darcha to Padam provides shorter journey to Padam and is an alternative route to Kargil. Once ready from Padam to Nemo, it will also be an alternate route for Manali-Leh.
BRO opened the road between Darcha and Padam in 2019 for civilian use with metalled and some stretches of unpaved road, but only 4×4 vehicles in good weather and BRO team support can move safely from one point to another can reach. Once all unsealed stretches of the BRO road are constructed and maintained, it will be motorable by all types of vehicles. The road is unusable from October to June due to heavy snowfall at Shinkun La Pass. The BRO has to clear snow on both sides to make the pass accessible between July and September.
change of plan
The Shinkun La project was first proposed in 2020 as a 13.5 km long tunnel by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) as the most viable solution as it offers the highest potential for all-weather connectivity.
BRO suggested a 4.25 km long tunnel. The Ministry of Defense had rejected the option of a 13.5 km long tunnel considering the road – including the tunnel – was to be completed within a minimum time frame of three to four years.
The BRO option of the short tunnel showed potential for faster completion as compared to the 13.5 km option and the completion time remained the top priority. Later the Ministry of Defense transferred the work of Shinkun La tunnel from NHIDCL to BRO.
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