Zojila Pass:
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) recently reopened the strategic Zojila Pass that acts as a gateway between the union territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.
- Zojila Pass, also known as ‘The Mountain Pass of Blizzards’, is a strategic pass that connects Kashmir Valley to Ladakh.
- It is located on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway (NH-1) at a height of 11,650 feet.
- The pass remains closed for almost half of the year due to heavy snowfall.
- It was the site of the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947-48.
- It 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 on 1st November 1948 in an assault codenamed Operation Bison.
- Zojila Tunnel is an under-construction tunnel situated at an altitude of 11,578 ft (around 3,500 metres) on the Srinagar-Leh Highway in Jammu and Kashmir.
- The tunnel would provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar and Leh on NH-1 with total Length: 14.15 km.