Jammu and Kashmir is now poised to witness a strategic and socio-economic change with the impetus coming from a proposed web of tunnels, as it will soon see the opening of Zoji La Tunnel and three more tunnels.

 

Connectivity for people from the Kashmir Valley and the Ladakh region will get a boost when the tunnels will be opened which will greatly reduce the distance and also give an all-weather access to other parts of India.

 

While decreasing the distance and travel time, the upcoming tunnels will save fuel. The movement will be possible in all-weather conditions which often close at the time of snow and rains.

 

It will also lead to increase in trade and increase the revenue of the state. Also, tourism will come as the gainer even as the people of the state become the biggest beneficiaries.

 

Major General D.K. Mehta (Retd), said, "The move is very important as infrastructure is required in the region especially for the defense and people as the roads are blocked for five months from November to March every year due to heavy snowfall. Besides, the tunnels will also help to avert road accidents due to avalanches." 

The Zoji La Tunnel will not just alleviate the agony of the local people but will also help the forces in following the dominating posture against Pakistan.

 

However, the challenges of building a long tunnel in the rough environment and the different mountain ranges are enormous. 

The Himalayas are the world's youngest mountain range. They shift and grind, and is still moving, expanding and shrinking. Digging through entire strata of withered rocks will be a challenge for the engineers to materialize these strategic plans towards sprucing up the infrastructure.

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To cater for natural vagaries, the National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) is seized with the challenge to construct avalanche protection infrastructure. The construction of these structures concurrently with the tunnels will give the region the connectivity that it is looking for. 

"The tunnels will provide shelter to troops and ammunition from both enemy shelling and extreme weather. They can also be used for NBC (nuclear, chemical, biological) protection and establish command and control centres,'' said Brigadier S.K. Chatterji (Retd).

 

What began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's inauguration of the 9.2 km long Chennai-Nashri tunnel road tunnel has now received further impetus.