India inaugurates strategic tunnel, maintains troops near Chinese border

India has inaugurated a strategic tunnel connecting it to the northern Ladakh region, while maintaining troop levels in the border area this winter.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspects the newly inaugurated tunnel

AFP news agency reported on January 13 that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has just inaugurated a strategic tunnel through the Himalayas, extending an all-weather access route north to disputed mountainous border areas with China and Pakistan.

The Z-Morh tunnel, also known as Sonmarg, stretches 6.4 km under a treacherous mountain pass that is covered in snow for about 4-6 months every year, as part of India's infrastructure drive in border areas.

The tunnel connects Indian-administered Kashmir with the Ladakh region and serves as a stepping stone to the opening of the Srinagar-Leh highway, allowing for rapid deployment of military supplies.

“With the opening of the tunnel here, connectivity will be significantly improved,” Modi said after cutting the ribbon to inaugurate the $313 million project that took a decade to build.

Another tunnel on the same route, the 13-km Zojila tunnel project, is more than half complete and is expected to open in 2026, Indian officials said.

In a related development, Indian Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi said on January 13 that the country does not intend to reduce the number of troops in the northern border region during the winter, and will consider mobilizing for the summer based on the results of negotiations with China.

Twenty Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed in border clashes in June 2020. The two sides subsequently stopped patrolling several border points in Ladakh to avoid new confrontations, moving tens of thousands of troops and new military equipment closer to the frigid mountainous region.

New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement in October 2024 to resolve the military standoff and subsequently withdrew troops from the disputed area.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/an-do-khanh-thanh-duong-ham-chien-luoc-duy-tri-quan-so-gan-bien-gioi-trung-quoc-185250113194035321.htm