India has completed the halfway mark of the excavation work for Zojila Tunnel in the mighty Himalayas in Jammu & Kashmir using the latest advanced technologies.
It would be an example of an engineering marvel once it gets completed. The company, Megha Engineering Infrastructure Limited said it has “carved a niche for itself by boring a tunnel in the Himalayan range, a first of its kind in such a geographical zone.”
The Zojila tunnel, which has a length of 13-km, is a single tube tunnel and an important tunnel in the project. Seven kilometres of excavation work has been completed.
The deadline for the project is set to be opened for public use in December 2026 but the officials said that it could be opened by September 2024 for the movement of the armed forces.
Strategic link
During the Kargil conflict with the Pakistani forces in 1999, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government felt the need to construct the Zojila tunnel. The continuous transgression from the Chinese side necessitated expediting the work.
The Zojila tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir, which is Asia’s longest bidirectional tunnel, will bring down the distance significantly. The travelling time between Sonamarg and Meenamarg comes down from 4 hours to just 40 minutes.
The tunnel starts from Baltal on the west side and ends at Minamarg, near Drass, on the east side.
The Zojila tunnel would provide all-weather connectivity to the locals which would increase the tourist footfalls, locals will have access throughout the year and men and machines can be deployed in the time of crisis.
Silk route
Zojila tunnel is a strategic connection between Srinagar and Leh and was a part of the Silk route. Experts believe that the tunnel would be most crucial for the Indian armed forces and the economy of the region as well. It will connect the Ladakh region with the rest of the country.
The MEIL is an executing partner of the project for the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, a Ministry of Road Transport and Highways undertaking.
Last year, Transport and Roadways Minister Nitin Gadkari had launched the Zojila works and had also reviewed the other ongoing projects in the region.
Zojila project
It has four bridges with a total length of 815 metres to cross the river on the Zojila route.
As per the company, the substructures and foundations for the bridges have been completed.
Harpal Singh, Project Head said, “MEIL has achieved what the whole country had thought it was impossible. Our dedicated workforce has continuously worked to excavate the tunnel during harsh weather and in hospital terrain.”
The MEIL is also constructing a 17-km-long road from Z-Morh to Baltal.
To date, the company has constructed 40 per cent of the road. More than 1250 advanced and high-end technology machinery and equipment for the execution of the Zojila project have been deployed. Over 2,000 manpower have been involved in the project.
