The Indian government approved the construction of a 4.1-kilometre tunnel under Shinku La in a bid to give the military access to the strategic Ladakh region throughout the year.
“The decision to clear the tunnel makes strategic sense as to achieve all-weather connectivity on the Manali-Upshi-Leh highway, the government would have to construct some 38 kilometres of tunnels under Baralacha La, Lachulung La and Taglang La, all passes touching heights of over 16000 feet which remained snowed in for at least five months a year,” a local media reports.
The Border Roads Organization made a blacktop road on the Darcha-Padam-Nimu axis in 2019 but the road could not be used in winter months due to heavy snow on 16703 feet high Shinkun La.
The Darcha-Padam-Nimu route was used by the Indian Army to send arms and ammunition supplies to Eastern Ladakh during the LAC conflict with China in 2020.
The road is critical to the defence of Ladakh as it is sheltered from both Pakistani and Chinese long-range artillery or missile firing unlike the exposed Srinagar-Drass-Kaksar-Kargil highway near LoC and the Manali-Upshi-Leh highway near the LAC respectively.