New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod for the construction of the 4.1-km Shinku La tunnel on the Nimu-Padam-Darcha road link to provide all-weather connectivity to the border areas of Ladakh.

Providing details of the cabinet decision, Union minister Anurag Thakur said the tunnel will be completed by December 2025 at a cost of ₹ 1,681 crore.

The length of the tunnel will be 4.1 km. An approach will also be built by December 2025.

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The Shinku La tunnel will provide all-weather road connectivity to Ladakh and this will be the shortest route to the border areas of the Union territory, the minister said.

“The Cabinet Committee on Security today approved the Shinku La tunnel for Ladakh area which will provide all-weather connectivity to the Ladakh region with the entire country,” the minister said.

“This (project) is also very important as far as the security and safety of the country is concerned…. It will also help in the movement of our security forces in that region,” Thakur said.