The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has sent the DPR  (Detailed Project Report ) of the proposed tunnel beneath Shinkula Pass (16,615.5 feet) in tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti for approval to the Central Government.

The tunnel will provide all-weather road connectivity between Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir in Zanskar valley.

• With the construction of the tunnel under Shinkula Pass, inhabitants of around 15-odd villages of Zanskar valley in Jammu and Kashmir will be relieved as the valley remains cut off due to heavy snowfall during the winter.
• The BRO had also constructed 39.6-km road from Darcha up to Shinkula Pass in the year 2015, but the road usually remained blocked during the winter because of heavy snowfall.It was Chhutlim Chhanjor (74), a native of Kargyag village in Zanskar valley, who took an initiative on his own to open road from Darcha towards Shinkula Pass. Taking a cue from him, the BRO opened the 39.6-km road linking Darcha with the Shinkula Pass.
• The project involves the construction of a four-km all-weather road tunnel. The BRO is planning to construct 4-km tunnel under Shinkula Pass (16,615.5 feet) to provide all-weather road connectivity between Himachal and Jammu & Kashmir in Zanskar Valley.
• It will include construction of power supply units, paved roads, supporting walls and pedestrian ways apart from installation of electro-mechanical equipment, ventilation equipment, safety and security systems.
• “The BRO engineers have conducted studies exploring possibilities for boring tunnel. Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE), a laboratory of the Defense Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), has conducted snow studies,” he added.
• The Central Government is keen on strengthening road and air connectivity in border areas of its neighboring countries such as China and Pakistan.
• Experts say that the road, besides being of strategic importance, will greatly help residents of the 15-odd villages in Zanskar valley, who currently have to walk for nearly six days to reach either Leh or Manali.Linking HP with Zanskar in J-K.