Zoji La

Why in News?

• The Zojila tunnel, meant to provide all-year connectivity between Leh and Srinagar, might undergo design changes in order to avoid cost escalation.
• Centre aims to complete building the tunnel at the original estimated cost of approximately Rs 6,800 crore.
• The project is strategically important because the Zojila Pass, located on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway at an altitude of 11,578 feet (nearly 3,529 metres), is closed in the winters due to snowfall, consequently cutting Ladakh off from Kashmir.

About Zoji La

• Zoji La is a high mountain pass located in the Kargil district of Ladakh.
• The pass links Leh and Srinagar and provides an important link between Union Territories of Ladakh and Kashmir.
• Zojila pass remains closed during winters due to heavy snowfall, cutting off Ladakh region from Kashmir.
• In 2018, the Zojila tunnel project was launched. The tunnel is Asia's longest and strategic bi-directional tunnel, which will provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh.

PRELIMS QUESTION:

Q. Which of the following pairs of Mountain pass and the corresponding state/UT is wrongly matched?

a) Bomdi la      : Arunachal Pradesh

b) Lipu lekh     : Himachal Pradesh

c) Zoji la          : Jammu and Kashmir

d) Nathu la      : Sikkim

Answer to Prelims question