April 23: An important connector between the Kashmir valley and Ladakh, Kashmir-Ladakh Zojila Pass has now been opened by the Border Roads Organisation.
The pass is situated at a height of 11,650 feet and one of the vital roads in these high regions of the country. The pass is shut down each year around November when the temperature by a huge degree and is reopened at April-end the following year. This means, that the pass stays closed for about 150 days every year, however, this was a bit different this time.
The pass remained functional in 2020 for a longer period of time and is now scheduled to open before the scheduled date in 2021. The pass was closed for a total of 110 days this time. 10 civilian trucks, carrying essential supplies, have already crossed the pass as they went towards Kargil.
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The pass is located about 100 km away from Srinagar. The Zoji-la Tunnel is currently under construction for which, the work began back in 2018. The tunnel is constructed to help reduce the time taken to reach Ladakh.
After its completion, the tunnel will have “a two-lane bi-directional single tube tunnel that runs for 14.2 km.” Having some exclusive features, the reports suggests that the tunnel will make the tunnel ‘a modern-day smart tunnel’.
Other than CCTV monitoring, the tunnel will also have emergency lighting, a ventilation system and a tunnel radio system as well. Along with these, there will be fire fighting cabinets and emergency telephones.
