With the opening of Zoji La Tunnel and three more tunnels Jammu and Kashmir is now poised to witness a strategic and socio-economic change. The Srinagar-Leh Highway connecting the two main regions of Jammu and Kashmir is considered strategically one of the important roads in the country.
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 rain.
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.
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 are still moving, expanding and shrinking. Digging through entire strata of withered rocks will be a challenge for the engineers to materialise these strategic plans towards sprucing up the infrastructure. (KNB/With Inputs ANI)