Leh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today kickstarted work for Zojila tunnel, Asiaa longest and strategic bi-directional tunnel, to provide all weather connectivity between Srinagar and Ladakh.
The prime minister who is on a one-day visit to all the three regions — Leh, Kashmir and Jammu– also attended the closing ceremony for the birth centenary celebrations of the 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche (Buddhist spiritual guru) here.
The tunnel will cut down time taken to cross Zojila pass from the present three and a half hours to just fifteen minutes.
The pass is situated at an altitude of 11,578 feet on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway and remains closed during winters due to heavy snowfall which cuts off Ladakh region from Kashmir.
As part of the project, 14.15 km-long two lane bi-directional single tube tunnel would be constructed.
At the ceremony here, Modi said projects worth Rs 25,000 crore, which would either be initiated or inaugurated today in all three regions, shows the commitment of the central and the state governments towards speedy development of the state.
The prime minister unveiled a plaque to mark the commencement of work on the Rs 6,809 crore Zojila tunnel to be completed in five years. “I have asked the ministry concerned to look into ways to reduce the time for completion of this project,” he said.
“It (tunnel) will lead to all-round economic and socio-cultural integration of these regions. It also has immense strategic importance,” the Prime Ministers Office said in a statement.
This pass is most strategic for the entire Kargil sector which has seen intrusion and war in the past and thus as Modi said would help the armed forces for round-the-clock supplies.
Meanwhile, Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, who was also present for the inauguration, in his address said that 90 percent of employment would be provided to local youths in the construction of the tunnel.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired Modi had in January, approved the construction of the tunnel. And while Gadkari had given a time of seven years for completion of the tunnel, the prime minister asked him to ensure that it be completed in next five years.
The civil construction cost of the project which is implemented by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRT&H) through the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) is Rs 4,899.42 crore. As per a report in The Indian Express, The total capital cost of the project is Rs 6,808.69 crore and this includes the cost towards land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities as well as maintenance and operation cost of the tunnel for four years.
“The Zojila tunnel has been planned as a smart tunnel. It will have latest safety features like fully transverse ventilation system, uninterrupted power supply (UPS), tunnel emergency lighting, CCTV monitoring, variable message signs (VMS), traffic logging equipment, over height vehicle detection, tunnel radio system, etc,” NDTV quoted a spokesperson.
IL&FS Transportation had emerged as the lowest bidder for the project in July 2017.
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