Plans to transform Indian hill station to a global tourist destination

Auli, a small hill station nestled quietly in the Himalayas, already called a European village by some tourists in India is planned to be developed as a premier destination, attracting global attention.

While addressing a virtual event, Union minister of roads and highways Nitin Gadkari has said "We want to develop Auli in Uttrakhand near Badrinath and Kedarnath as an attraction for tourists across the world"

Owing to its steep slopes and snow sports, Auli is famous as ski resort of India. Situated at a height of 2,800-metres, it is surrounded by acres of oak and coniferous forests. The panoramic views of some of India's highest peaks, including the second-highest in the country, Nanda Devi (7,816m), meadows and romantic vistas account for Auli's potential to be a global attraction.

Further, Mr Gakari added his plans to develop a landscape between the 18-km-stretch of Zojila tunnel in Ladakh and Z-Morh tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir like world-famous Davos, luxurious resort town in Switzerland known for hosting the Economic Forum.

Zojila Pass is situated at an altitude of 11,578 feet on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway and remains closed during winters due to heavy snowfall. The construction work on Zojila tunnel was launched by him last year in October, with confidence that the strategic project, which will provide all-year connectivity between Srinagar valley and Leh, will be completed ahead of schedule before the next Lok Sabha elections. The project has a completion schedule of six years.

The industrious project, understood as Asia's largest tunnel would reduce the travel time from 3 hours to 15 minutes with avalanche-free travel on the Srinagar-Leh section of NH-1 once complete.