India nears completion of Zojila tunnel linking occupied Kashmir with Ladakh

NEW DELHI: India has reached a major construction milestone on the Zojila tunnel, a strategic road project in the Himalayas aimed at securing year-round access to the Ladakh region near the China border.

Engineers on Tuesday blasted through the last section of rock in the 13.14-kilometre tunnel, linking excavation fronts from both sides. The tunnel passes beneath the 3,528-metre Zojila Pass and is intended to connect areas that are cut off in winter by heavy snowfall.

The project is part of India’s wider infrastructure expansion in the frontier region, where roads, tunnels and rail links are being developed to keep trade routes and military logistics functioning throughout the year. India and China remain strategic rivals across South Asia, and although relations have improved since their 2020 border clash, the 3,500-kilometre frontier continues to be a source of tension.

At present, the road between Srinagar, the main city in Indian occupied Kashmir, and Leh, Ladakh’s main city, is closed during winter because of snow that can pile up higher than a truck. The Zojila tunnel is part of a route designed to significantly improve connectivity between the two cities in all seasons.

India’s road transport minister Nitin Gadkari attended the breakthrough ceremony at the high-altitude site and remotely triggered the final blast. He described the project as a critical link for the region.

"This is not just a tunnel but a lifeline,"

Project engineer Manmohan Singh said that more than 3,000 workers have been involved in the excavation effort since 2020 and said the work had continued in difficult conditions without any accident.

"We have worked for this tunnel day and night in challenging weather conditions, and completed it without any accident,"

Part of a broader transport buildout

The Zojila tunnel is one component of a network of four major tunnels. That includes the 6.5-kilometre Sonamarg tunnel, within a broader $712-million programme that is expected to become fully operational by 2028.

India has also built a $3.9-billion railway line linking the lowland plains with occupied Kashmir. The project includes the Chenab Rail Bridge, described as the highest railway bridge of its kind in the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated that railway route in June 2025.

The 272-kilometre railway starts from Udhampur, a garrison city that serves as the headquarters of the army’s northern command, and runs through Srinagar.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region, has been divided between Pakistan and India since 1947, with both countries claiming the territory in full.