Indian military tankers carrying fuel towards the forward India-China border in the Ladakh region on September 15, 2020.
At a time when the two nuclear powers are at loggerheads, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the inauguration of a strategic tunnel through the Himalayan mountains that will dramatically reduce the time it takes for Indian troops to make an emergency drive to the remote Chinese border.
The tunnel, which spans the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, is one of the only two trunk routes for Indian troops heading into the disputed Ladakh region with Chinese troops. The opening of the tunnel has long been a strategic border plan for the Indian government in case of an emergency troop transport to the dangerous Ladakh region.
In June, 20 Indian soldiers were killed by Chinese soldiers in a fierce battle between Indian and Chinese border guards in the Ladakh Sino-Indian border area.
The nine-kilometer, $400 million tunnel will allow Indian military vehicles to pass through the tunnel at all times of the day, avoiding a section of the Himalayas that is prone to collapse, while saving about 50 kilometers and four hours of travel time.
The Himalayan plateau, with its tundra, difficult terrain, cold temperatures, and only six months of the year available for construction, has taken up to a decade to build the tunnel.
In the face of the Chinese threat, India has recently accelerated infrastructure development along its borders, including the construction of roads, bridges, military and civilian airfields, and highland helicopters.
Prime Minister Modi, who attended the opening ceremony, said, “The opening of this tunnel will benefit not only the people on the border, but also our military.
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