Aasif Suhaf, Srinagar: To strengthen the armed forces deployed on the Line of Actual control at the Indo-China border and Line of Control on Indo Pakistan Border in the Ladakh region, India’s longest and highest motorable Zojila tunnel is getting ready. The all-weather tunnel will connect the Ladakh region to the rest of the country all through the year.

Ladakh generally gets disconnected from the rest of the country during winters. The Zojila pass is covered with feet of snow and major land sliding leaves the Ladakh region cut off from the rest of India for months together.

Zoji La Tunnel, being constructed by the Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL), is an under-construction 9.5 m wide, 7.57 m high and 13.145 km long, horseshoe-shaped single-tube, 2-lane road tunnel which passes under the Zoji La pass in the Himalayas between Ganderbal of Kashmir (J&K) and Drass town in Kargil district of Ladakh.

Harpal Singh Project Head of MEIL said, “We are building 19 km tunnels in this area. Five km of tunnelling has been completed between Sonamarg and this place. And main Zojila tunnel starts from here and is 13 km long. From this side, we have advanced 3 km and from the Ladakh side also we have advanced 3 km.”

“We are working at a good speed. Ladakh is not a small area and with 3 lac people and a huge deployment of the Indian Army, we can imagine any place in the world which is not connected to the mainland for four months via road transport. Zojila witnesses a lot of snowfall and everything gets cut off.”

The major benefit of this tunnel would be the armed forces deployed on the Borders. While China has built major roads and routes to the Indo-China border in the Ladakh region and with this tunnel the Indian soldiers posted on LAC would be connected via surface transport all throughout the year. Making sure to send across any supplies and arms and ammunition during any eventuality.

The tunnel would also impact the cost incurred on the defence in the Ladakh region. According to experts around 500-600 crores are spent on transportation during the period when Ladakh gets cut off from the rest of the country.

Harpal Singh further said, “Our neighbouring countries are totally hostile and are preparing to trouble us. And after the completion of Zojila, I don’t think they can trouble us or dream of doing anything, so it’s a very important tunnel from a defence point of view. For four months our defence forces cannot pass through the Zojila, so the access for 8 months and everything is stored in advance, the cost is huge and any supply during a war is not possible during winter months. So, the most important is after the completion of the Zojila tunnel our Army would be strengthened all through the year. Supply of arms and ammunition, spare parts, and even shifting Jawans.”

The Zojila tunnel project comprises of smart tunnel (SCADA) system, constructed using the New Austrian tunnelling method and equipped with CCTV, radio control, uninterrupted power supply, and ventilation. The Project consists of 2 small tunnels Nilgrar 1 and Nilgrar 2 which are already completed as on April 10, 2023. In the Zojila tunnel, out of 13.145 km, 5.832km of tunnel excavation is already completed. In addition, the construction of 3 vertical ventilation shafts is also in place and moving smoothly.

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Harpal Singh Project Head of MEIL said, “We are spending more than 600 crores to supply to defence forces and locals in Ladakh. So, 500-600 crores would be direct saving, we would be saving in fuel as the travel time would be cut. Thousands of crores would be saved due to this tunnel. This tunnel is being built with the latest technology in the world. We call it the new Austrian tunnelling method. Life of tunnel will be 100 years.”

The work on the Zojila Tunnel was started in the year 2021, at 9500 feet above sea level the engineers and workers are giving their best to complete the project on its deadline.

Sanjay Sharma, site in charge at Zojila Tunnel, told News24, “If everything goes right the tunnel would be fully functional and thrown open to the public in 2026.”

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The first part of the project which is 11 kilometres ahead of the Zojila tunnel has been completed with a 5 km Z-Morh tunnel which connects Srinagar with the Sonmarg area on NH1. This tunnel will be inaugurated by Union Minister for Roads, Transport and NHW, Nitin Gadkari, tomorrow at Sonmarg area Kashmir Valley.

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