ZOJILA PASS - GEOGRAPHY
News: BRO
opens strategic Zojila Pass in record 68 days
What's in the news?
● The
Border Roads Organization (BRO) opened the strategic Zojila Pass located on the
Greater Himalayan Range at an altitude of 11,650 feet which acts as a gateway
between Union Territories of Ladakh, and Jammu & Kashmir.
Zojila Pass:
● Located
in the Greater Himalayan Range.
● Acts
as a gateway between Union Territories - Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir.
● The
pass connects the Kashmir Valley to its west with the Dras and Suru valleys to
its northeast and the Indus valley further east.
● It
is the second-highest pass after
Fotu La.
History:
● At
the time of the Indo-Pakistani War in 1947, this pass was seized by the
Pakistani raiders in 1948 while they were in the wake of capturing Ladakh.
● On
1st November, the pass was captured by Indian forces under Operation Bison.
● The
Beacon Force unit and the Vijayak Force unit of the BRO are responsible for the
clearing and maintenance of the road during winter.
Zojila Tunnel:
● Location:
It is tunnel situated at an altitude of
11,578 ft (around 3,500 meters) on the Srinagar-Leh Highway in Jammu and
Kashmir.
● The
tunnel would provide all-weather
connectivity between Srinagar and Leh on NH-1.
● Total
Length - 14.15 km.
● It
will be India’s longest road tunnel, and
Asia’s longest bi-directional tunnel.
● It
would be 9.5-meter wide and 7.57-meter high in the shape of a horseshoe.