Zoji La Pass

In News

• Srinagar-Leh highway passing through Zoji-La closed for civilian vehicular movement till further orders, due to continuous spell of snowfall and extreme weather.

About Zoji La

• History
  • Zoji La Pass was captured by militias aided by the Pakistan Army in 1848, with the ultimate aim of capturing Ladakh.
  • However, the pass itself was captured by the Indian Army in 1948 in an assault codenamed Operation Bison.
• One of the world’s most dangerous mountain roads
  • Zoji La is a high mountain pass in the Himalayas in the Indian union territory of Ladakh.
  • It is the second highest pass on NH 1, with the first being the Fotu La Pass.
  • It connects the Kashmir Valley to its west with the Drass & Suru Valleys to its northeast as well as the Indus Valley located further east.
• Zoji La tunnel
  • The project was approved by the Government of India in 2018.
  • The 14 km long tunnel will reduce the time to cross the Zoji La from more than 3 hours to just 15 minutes.
  • When completed, it will be the longest bidirectional tunnel in Asia.

Source: TH