Watch | Zojila pass closes for winter

Workers from Border Roads Organisation use a machine to clear a snow covered road Srinagar-Leh highway near Zojila pass.File. (Source: The Hindu)

The strategic Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway remains closed for around two months every winter. The Zojila pass, on the highway, is situated at an altitude of 11,578 ft.

The pass remains closed during winters due to heavy snowfall cutting off Ladakh region from Kashmir. Construction work on the Zojila tunnel began in October 2020.

Projected as Asia’s longest tunnel, it will provide avalanche-free travel on the Srinagar-Leh section of NH1. It will reduce the travel time from around 3 hours to 15 minutes.