Border Roads Organisation To Start Work On Shinku La Tunnel, Two Strategic Roads Near China Border

In a significant development, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is making significant strides in bolstering connectivity to vital areas along the China border with the impending completion of two crucial roads in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The Banga-Janga-Gompa–LJG Road in Arunachal Pradesh is slated to bolster military movements by the end of this year, while connectivity between Munsiyari and Milam in Uttarakhand is targeted for completion by July 2024.

These two critical roads, slated for full blacktopping within a year, form part of the 61 strategic roads entrusted to BRO in the regions surrounding the Chinese border. Most of these projects have either been completed or are nearing fruition, reports Hindustan Times.

Shinku La Tunnel

As geopolitical tensions persist along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, efforts to address longstanding issues continue unabated. Meanwhile, plans are afoot to commence construction on the 4.1-kilometre-long Shinku La tunnel, set to surpass China's Mila tunnel and become the world's highest.

Shinku La tunnel will be the shortest, safest and third alternative corridor for the armed forces for forward areas of the Union Territory of Ladakh.

Forest (Conservation) Act clearance has been secured for the tunnel, which will circumvent the towering Shinku La pass, linking Ladakh to Himachal Pradesh. On completion of the Shinku La tunnel, the Manali-Kargil highway will also remain open throughout the year, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement.

Efforts are also underway to provide alternative connectivity to Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO), India's northernmost military base near the LAC.

The construction of a 130-kilometre road from Sasoma in the Nubra Valley to DBO near the Karakoram Pass is in its final stages, marking a significant milestone in the region's infrastructural development.