Jammu, June 7 -- Deep in the Himalayas, where mountain roads vanish under snow for months each winter, a historic moment is imminent. On June 9, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will trigger the breakthrough blast at the Zojila Tunnel - the defining milestone of one of India's most consequential infrastructure undertakings.
The 13.15-kilometre tunnel, straddling the boundary between Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh at an altitude of approximately 11,500 feet, is being constructed to accomplish what the mountain road above it cannot: remain open through the year.
For decades, the Srinagar-Leh highway has been at the mercy of heavy snowfall, severing Ladakh from the Kashmir Valley for long stretches every winter. The Z...