[ruzbehxyz]

Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz

At present there is no permit required for the tunnel but this is not going to be forever.

Since September 10, 2021, the local authorities have imposed a transit fee / Green tax for tourist vehicles crossing the Atal tunnel. The tax will be collected at the barrier set up at Sissu in Lahaul by the Special Area Development Authority.

The locals and those having registration numbers from Himachal Pradesh will not be asked to pay. Few having got vehicles registered outside but hail from the state /or Lahaul, will also be exempted .They need to apply to the SDM Lahaul for seeking exemption.



Source: https://www.outlookindia.com/website...-tunnel/394257

[ruzbehxyz]

Work on the world’s highest tunnel connecting Himachal Pradesh to Ladakh will start in July this year. Situated at an altitude of 16,580 feet, the Shinku La Pass tunnel will connect Kargil’s Zanskar Valley to Himachal Pradesh. Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Director General Lieutenant General Rajeev Chaudhary said that Centre has already approved ‘Project Yojak’ to execute this ambitious project.
The tunnel will be completed by 2025. At present, one has to travel 101 km from Manali to Darcha on Leh road and thereafter, take a turn from Darcha towards Shinku La Pass and enter Zanskar valley. The south portal of the tunnel will be at Shinku La and the north portal at Lakhang, he added. Chaudhary lauded the efforts of BRO personnel in resorting to the Shinku La-Padum road as well as Manali-Leh road in record time.
Courtesy : The Kashmir Monitor.

[ruzbehxyz]

The strategically important Padum-Darcha road between Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, which is still under construction, has been opened for heavy construction vehicles as a convoy was flagged off through the Shinku-la pass by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officials.
To speed up the construction of the 300 km-long Nimmu-Padum-Darcha (NPD) road, BRO has widened the Padum-Darcha section of the road so that its heavy vehicles could ply on it with raw materials. The formation cutting of this section was completed in October 2020 when it was opened for light jeeps and SUVs.
The road was not wide enough to accommodate heavy vehicles in most places, and BRO widened those spots in just four days so that construction works could run at war footings.

Source: Times of India.
Link: https://m.timesofindia.com/city/shim...w/92609973.cms

[ruzbehxyz]

29.06.2022

Tweet by BRO

[ruzbehxyz]

15.02.2023.

In a significant step, Prime Minister cleared a 4.1 kilometer tunnel under Shinkun La on Manali-Darcha-Padam-Nimu axis to allow all weather connectivity to the Union Territory and cater to continuous supply of troops and equipment in the worst case scenario with either of the two adversaries.

The decision to clear the tunnel under Shinkun La makes strategic sense as to achieve all weather connectivity on Manali-Upshi-Leh highway, the government would have to construct some 38 kilometers of tunnels under Baralacha La, Lachulung La and Taglang La, all passes touching heights of over 16000 feet which remained snowed in for at least five months a year.

The total cost of the project will be 1681.51 crore and will be completed by December 2025.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india...462642262.html

[ruzbehxyz]

Quoting myself

an alternate Road is being built over the Rock face and the Cliffhanger section will be closed once that is done. During our visit, we could see construction in full swing.

The actual Cliffhanger section is closed from June 2022 and the new alignment is in use. Confirmed from this video of a fellow Endeavour owner.
The old alignment was cut through bare rock and the new alignment is through loose soil and hence prone to landslides.

https://youtu.be/mtW0Mj3jTlQ

[ruzbehxyz]

In 1979-80 a track was made from Kargil to Padum, which is still in use today. This was the only road connection to Zanskar valley till the Darcha route was opened. Zanskar- Kargil road was declared National Highway (NH301) in 2017 by the Centre. It has been widened over time and is now in progress of being converted to a proper tarred road.

The Kargil - Padum highway NH301 is being built by NHIDCL.
National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation is a fully owned company of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India. The company promotes, surveys, establishes, designs, builds, operates, maintains and upgrades National Highways and Strategic Roads including interconnecting roads in parts of the country which share international boundaries with neighboring countries.




Here are some picture of the new highway.

[ruzbehxyz]

Saw this photo posted by someone on social media. “Tar road” near base of Gombok Ranjan. Wow! In 2020, we had to search for the proper trail, especially below Shinkula, where there were many river crossings.