Shinku La connecting Himachal’s Lahaul to Ladakh’s Zanskar reopens in record 55 days

On March 22, Border Roads Organisation personnel worked in double shifts under Project Yojak at 16,580 feet in minus 25 degrees Celsius to achieve daunting task of reopening the icy peaks of the pass

Shinku La, the mountain pass at 16,580 feet that connects Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul valley to the Zanskar valley of Ladakh’s Kargil district was reopened in a record 55 days on Thursday, officials said on Friday.

Light vehicles from the Zanskar side were allowed to pass towards Manali after Shinku La, the pass at 16,580 feet that connects Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul to Ladakh, was reopened in a record 55 days on Thursday. (HT Photo)

Light vehicles from the Zanskar side were allowed to pass towards Manali. Only locally registered vehicles are being allowed to ply on the stretch between Darcha and Padum till further orders, said Colonel Vikas Gulia, director of the Border Roads Organisation’s (BRO) Project Yojak.

The pass, which had been closed since January 23, was reopened on Thursday despite the temperature plummeting to minus 25 degrees Celsius, he said. “The BRO personnel, under Project Yojak chief engineer Jitendra Prasad, worked in double shifts. On March 22, they worked throughout the night to achieve the daunting task of opening the icy peaks of Shinku La,” Colonel Gulia said.

The snow-bound pass remains closed during winter, snapping the road link to Zanskar. Snow clearance poses peculiar challenges at Shinku La since the area is avalanche-prone.

The 300-km Nimmu-Padum-Darcha Road will be turned into an all-weather road with the BRO shortly beginning work on the 4-km Shinku La tunnel.

Lahaul deputy commissioner Sumit Khimta said due to inclement weather, only locally registered 4x4 vehicles will be allowed on the Darcha-Padum stretch between 9am and 3pm. Tourist vehicles will not be allowed beyond Darcha, he added.

Besides Col Gulia, Lt Col CS Pawan Kumar, officiating commander 13 BRTF, and Major Arvind Kumar, OC, 126 RCC, flagged off vehicles at Shinku La Top on Thursday, while the Zanskar SDM and local leaders joined the ceremony in Ladakh.

Last year, the pass was closed for five months and was reopened on April 17, 2022. However, this year, the pass was kept open till January 23 and was shut only after a spell of heavy snowfall.