Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday launched the first blast for construction-related work on the 14.15 km Zojila Tunnel, one of the longest in Asia, which will provide year-round connectivity between the valley of Srinagar and Leh. To detonate means to explode or break something solid with explosives.
All-weather connectivity
The project is of strategic importance as 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. It is currently one of the most dangerous stretches in the world to drive a vehicle and this project is also geostrategically sensitive.
The tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity between the Srinagar Valley and Leh (Ladakh Plateau) on NH-1, and will bring full economic and socio-cultural integration of Jammu and Kashmir.
Save of ₹4000 crore
Initiating the explosion in a virtual ceremony, Minister of Transport for Road, Highways and MSMEs, Gadkari, called it a “moment of pride” for India.
He said that the remodeling of the project will result in savings of the order of ₹Rs 4,000 crore for the public treasury with no compromise on safety and quality.
14.15 km long tunnel
It involves the construction of a 14.15 km long tunnel at an altitude of about 3,000 m under the Zojila pass (currently passable only for six months a year) on the NH-1 connecting Srinagar and Leh via Drass and Kargil.
“This tunnel, when completed, will be a historic achievement in the history of modern India. It will also be of great importance for the defense of the country, in view of the fact that massive military activities along our borders in the regions from Ladakh, Gilgit and Baltistan are taking place, “the government said.
Three hours just 15 minutes
The Zojila tunnel project will realize 30 years of overwhelming public demand from the Kargil, Drass and Ladakh region, the statement said, adding that the project will make travel in the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh section of NH-1 free of avalanches, improve safety and reduce travel time from more than 3 hours to 15 minutes.
The project was awarded this year to Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Ltd (MEIL), which had emerged as the lowest bidder in the listing. ₹4,509.5 million rupees for the project. The other two bidders in the race were Larsen & Toubro and Ircon International JV.
Wonder of our days
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2018 laid the first stone of the ₹6,800 crore project, listed as the longest two-way tunnel in Asia, in Jammu and Kashmir.
When unveiling a plaque for the beginning of the tunnel works, Modi had said: “The tunnel of Zojila is not a simple tunnel, but a modern wonder”.
With PTI inputs
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