The Atal Tunnel has brought some relief to people of Ladakh and is a step towards 24x7 connectivity of the region with the rest of India, said former minister and ex-BJP chief of Ladakh, Cherign Dorjay.
Dorjay said people of Ladakh welcome the inauguration of the Tunnel but they also want Zojila Tunnel to be opened at the earliest.
“Normally, Manali route opens up after Zojila every winter. Now, it will open before Zojila. Distance and travel time to Manali has also reduced,” said Dorjay.
He said that in no way has Atal Tunnel provided 24x7 connectivity between Leh and Manali.
“There are three passes - Lachung La, Taglang La and Baralacha La - on the Manali-Leh axis. Taglang La is the highest pass and gets heavy snow in winters. So does, Lahaul valley,” he said.
“If we have to provide 24x7 connectivity to Ladakh, a tunnel, smaller than Atal Tunnel has to be constructed between Zanskar and Nimu,” said Dorjay.
He said little progress has been made on Zojila Tunnel between Sonmarg and Drass in Kargil.
{{/usCountry}}He said little progress has been made on Zojila Tunnel between Sonmarg and Drass in Kargil.
{{/usCountry}}The National Highways Infrastructure Development and Construction Limited (NHIDCL) invited fresh bids for the Rs 4,430-crore project in June this year.
According to a recent report by a global security consultancy, Stratfor, China has reportedly started construction of at least 13 new military positions including three air bases, five permanent air defence positions and five heliports near the line of actual control (LAC) in the aftermath of the Doklam standoff in 2017.
The report also stated that construction on four of those new heliports started only after the border standoff erupted in eastern Ladakh in early May.