India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a strategic Himalayan road tunnel on Monday ( January 13 ), allowing for cross-border disputed high-altitude disputes with rivals China and Pakistan.
The Z-Morh or Sonmarg pipe, which extends 6.4 kilometers beneath a dangerous mountain pass that is closed off by frost for four to six months each year, is a part of a wider effort to build infrastructure in border zones.
It serves as a jumping stone in opening the Srinagar-Leh Highway all year round to enable quick implementation of military resources and helps connect India-administered Kashmir with Ladakh.
After opening the US$ 313 million project, which has been a century in the making, Modi declared,” Connection will significantly improve with the beginning of the tunnel here.” He was covered in a coat from the freezing cold.
India and China, the country’s two most popular nations, are powerful rivals competing for proper control across South Asia, and their 3, 500km shared border has been a persistent source of tension.
Their army clashed in 2020, killing at least 20 Indian and four Chinese men, and troops from both sides now face off across contested high-altitude borders.
Beijing and New Delhi reached an agreement in October regarding guards in contested regions, just before a rare proper conference between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Modi, which was the first in five times.