With China refusing to dial down the tension in Ladakh, India has increased the pace of rapid infrastructure development in this region to bolster road connectivity and allow its troops year-long accesses, the India Today reported.
New Delhi has plans to build at least 10 tunnels running up to 100 km in Ladakh and Kashmir that will allow the army and the civilian’s smooth movement throughout the year across mountain passes to forward locations.
The task to build these tunnels is going to be a monumental task, as some of these are at heights more than 17,000 feet and these tunnels will be all-weather connectivity.
The much-needed Atal Tunnel built at the altitude of 10,000 feet in Rohtang was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 3 and this pass has now significantly cut travel time between Manali in Himachal Pradesh and Leh, Ladakh. Also, now the people of Lahaul and Spiti in the hill state will have year-long connectivity.
“The 5 km tunnel is planned at Shinku La (pass). It might take another three years. But once it’s complete it will provide all-weather connectivity to Ladakh,” Lt Gen Harpal Singh Director General Border Roads Organisation was quoted saying in India Today after the inauguration of Atal Tunnel on October 3.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is spearheading all the projects and has proposed eight tunnels that will improve connectivity to Ladakh, and similar projects have also been proposed in Kashmir linking roads to the Line of Control.
However, Beijing has strong reservations to India’s road construction close to the Line of Actual Control which her right, and New Delhi has maintained there is no “violation of existing protocols”.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated 44 bridges built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) that has enhanced connectivity to areas leading up to the Line of Actual Control as there is no end in sight with regards to the India-China standoff.
For decades, the policy was not to develop any infrastructure in Ladakh to ensure China is not antagonised, however, the Chinese aggression at the LAC has prompted a relook at the current strategy and expedited several infrastructure projects.
“Without tunneling, all-weather connectivity is not possible because of the heavy snow. The tunnels have been planned keeping in mind the need for road connectivity to the forward most locations,” said an official.
One of the most ambitious projects is to build tunnels at an altitude of 17,800 feet to provide alternate connectivity to Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) and Depsang Plains in Eastern Ladakh. The Daulat Beg Oldie airfield is very crucial to our military operations and its strategic value cannot be measured.
“A tunnel of about 10 km is needed at Saser La to ensure the 100 km alternate route to DBO can be used through the year. 50 km stretch from Sasoma to Saser La is almost complete but a tunnel is a must beyond this,” said an official privy to the details of the project.
The massive infrastructure projects to build roads, tunnels, and bridges will also provide better connectivity between Siachen Glacier and DBO in Eastern Ladakh and will ensure India has the ability for rapid troop deployment and logistics against China or Pakistan.