Team News Riveting
New Delhi, October 15
After 15 years of wait, the construction work on the Zojila Tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir finally began to reduce 3.5 hours ride to just 15 minutes’ in the valley.
The work began today with the ceremonial blasting. The project had hit several roadblocks since conceived in 2005. After it was first conceived, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared by the Border Road Organisation (BRO) in 2013 on BOT (Annuity) mode.
Attempts to award the project four times were not successful. The Project was eventually given to NHIDCL in July 2016 for implementation on EPC mode. Its work was awarded to M/s. ITNL (IL&FS). Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone at Leh and commenced the work on May 19, 2018.
The work progressed up to July 2019, and thereafter M/s. IL&FS went bankrupt and the project was stuck. Hence, the contract was terminated on January 15, 2019.
Thereafter, in February 2020, Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road transport and Highways, reviewed this whole project in detail. The Expert group suggested modalities of project configuration and implementation, to achieve project completion in least possible time and cost.
The tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar valley and Leh (Ladakh plateau) on NH-1, and will bring about an all-round economic and socio–cultural integration of Jammu and Kashmir (Now UTs of J&K and Ladakh).
It involves construction of a 14.15 Km long tunnel at an altitude of about 3000 m under Zojila pass that is presently motorable only for 6 months in a year on NH-1 connecting Srinagar and Leh through Dras and Kargil. It is one of the most dangerous stretches in the world to drive a vehicle and this project is also geo-strategically sensitive.
