Aqzar Raheel
Manimarg/ Ganderbal, June 9: In a major milestone for one of India’s most ambitious infrastructure projects, a breakthrough was achieved on Tuesday in the strategically important Zojila Tunnel, bringing the dream of all-weather connectivity between Kashmir and Ladakh closer to becoming a reality.
The final 2.5-metre stretch inside the tunnel was successfully blasted near the eastern portal at Minimarg in Ladakh during a ceremony attended by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The Zojila Tunnel, being constructed on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway, is expected to be opened to the public by February 2028.
Officials of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) said civil works on the project would continue for another seven to eight months, after which electrical and finishing works would be taken up.
According to project authorities, nearly 85 per cent of the overall work has already been completed.
The tunnel, connecting Baltal in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district with Minimarg in Ladakh’s Drass sector, is a 13.153-km-long single-tube bi-directional road tunnel constructed at an altitude of around 11,578 feet above sea level.
The horseshoe-shaped tunnel measures 9.5 metres in width and 7.57 metres in height. The entire project, including approach roads and bridges between Sonamarg and Minimarg, spans nearly 31 km.
The project is being executed by Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) to navigate the fragile Himalayan terrain.
Once operational, the tunnel will provide year-round weather-proof connectivity to Ladakh and significantly improve civilian as well as military movement across the Zojila Pass, which remains closed for several months during winter due to heavy snowfall.
Officials said the tunnel would reduce travel time across the Zojila stretch from nearly one to one-and-a-half hours to around 15 minutes.
