Known for its rough terrain, the world’s highest battlefield, Siachen glacier is now open for tourism. Announcing the same on 21st October 2019, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declared it open for tourists and tourism.
Tourists will be able to travel from Partapur at 11,000 ft. to Kumar Post, which is at a height of 15,000 ft. This will be made possible by giving a permit to travel to these areas. This also means that apart from the annual expedition organised by the Army from the base camp to Kumar post, tourists will also be able to travel independently.
Known as the site of the Kargil war between the Indian Army and Pakistan based extremists, it is famous as being the world’s highest battlefield.
Announcing this at the inauguration of Colonel Chewang Rinchen Bridge in Ladakh at Shyok River, the Defense Minister said that better connectivity would certainly help bring tourists in large numbers and that the region has a tremendous potential for tourism.
This new bridge along with 36 other bridges and road construction will provide all-weather connectivity in the region and act as a strategic asset in the border areas. 1400 ft. long and 4.5 metres wide, it is at a height of 14,000 ft. and has a load capacity of 70 tonnes. This will boost the connectivity between Drabuk and Daulet Beg Oldie (DBI) with China.
Discussing the Indo-China ties, Rajnath Singh further added that though there are perceptional differences between both countries on the boundary issues, both have handled it with a lot of maturity and responsibility, showcasing their cordial relations with each other. Not letting the situation escalate out of hand, he mentioned that Kashmir is India’s integral issue and Chinese President XI Jinping did not mention it during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mahabalipuram.
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