About Zojila Tunnel :-
- It is an upcoming project which aims at providing all weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh.
- The Zojila tunnel project has been approved on the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode.
- The game changing infrastructure project will comprise a 14.15 km long two lane bi-directional single tube tunnel with a parallel 14.200 km long egress tunnel excluding approaches between Baltal & Minamarg in J&K.
According to the government :-
- The project holds strategic and socio-economic significance, especially given the fact that the region of Leh has limited connectivity for as many as 6 months of the year due to threat of avalanches.
- The long awaited project will be executed by Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRT&H) through National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and will take minimum seven years to complete.
- The total capital cost of the project is estimated to be around Rs 6808.69 crore. This will also include the cost towards land acquisition, resettlement & rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities as well as maintenance and operation cost of tunnel for four years.
Benefits :-
- It will have tremendous significance for its economic development as it will benefit the nearby backward districts in Jammu and Kashmir.
- Zojila tunnel will also generate massive job opportunities among local residents and due to better road connectivity between Kashmir and Ladakh,
- The Tourism Industry will also witness commendable traffic throughout the year, which will successfully boost the state economy.
- Zojila tunnel project, along with the ongoing Z-Morh tunnel project at Gagangir, which is 6.5 km long, will provide connectivity between Kashmir and Ladakh.
