J&K's Zojila Tunnel, Set To Be Asia's Longest, 70 Per Cent Complete

The work on Jammu and Kashmir's Zojila Tunnel, which will provide all-weather connectivity between the Ladakh region and the rest of the country, is now 70 per cent completed, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari told Parliament Thursday.

The 13-kilometre-long tunnel, set for completion by 2026, will become the longest in Asia and will be located in a sub-zero temperature zone.

Mr Gadkari, speaking in Lok Sabha, said that initially, the tunnel was estimated to be constructed for over Rs 12,000 crore, but it will be completed at just around Rs 5,500 crore.

The Minister also invited Speaker Om Birla to visit the site to see the state-of-the-art project.

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The Srinagar-Leh road will be an all-weather road once the tunnel is completed. The closure of the highway during winter impacts the lives of both the civilians and the army in the Union Territory.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Zojilla tunnel in 2018. It is a 7.57 m high horseshoe-shaped single-tube, 2-lane tunnel and will pass under the Zojila Pass in the Himalayas between Ganderbal in Kashmir and Drass in the Kargil district of Ladakh.

Currently, the average travel time to cross the Zojila Pass is about three hours. The tunnel will reduce it to 20 minutes.

The project includes a Smart Tunnel (SCADA) system, which has been constructed using the New Austrian Tunneling Method and is equipped with facilities like CCTV, radio control, uninterrupted power supply, and ventilation.

The use of modern technology in this project has saved the Government of India more than 5000 crore rupees.

Mr Gadkari also said that the Modi government has given the highest priority to the development of highways in Jammu and Kashmir.

He said road construction works worth Rs 2 lakh crore are underway in the Union Territory, where 105 tunnels are being constructed for ease of travel.